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Why Cannabis Pizza Is Catching On And Where To Try It
Learn where to try cannabis pizza (NYC, Tempe), why home recipes fail at intense heat, and why Mood's tested edibles beat unpredictable restaurant slices.
Written by Sipho Sam
January 9th, 2025
Cannabis pizza is THC-infused pizza served at specialty restaurants or made at home using cannabis oil or butter.
Restaurant slices typically contain 10-40mg THC per slice.
Effects begin 45-120 minutes after eating and last several hours.
Currently, two main models exist: licensed venues, such as The Mint Cannabis Cafe in Tempe, serving precision-dosed menu items, and reservation-based experiences, like The Pizza Pusha in NYC, offering potent slices in a speakeasy setting.
The challenge everyone faces is this: pizza satisfies immediate hunger, but edibles take nearly an hour to produce effects.
This timing mismatch leads to overconsumption at restaurants and disappointment at home when hot oven temperatures destroy carefully infused THC.
We'll show you where to try cannabis pizza today, how to make it without ruining potency, why you can't order it for delivery, and what alternatives might actually work better for your goals.
Table of Contents
Cannabis Pizza Explained: Effects, Timing, and Where to Try It
Where You Can Try Cannabis Pizza Right Now
The Pizza Timing Problem Everyone Misses
Wisconsin Pizza Incident: Why Clear Labeling Matters
How to Make Cannabis Pizza Without Destroying Potency
Why Cannabis Pizza Isn't Available for Delivery
How to Identify Safe Cannabis Pizza Experiences
Legal Framework in Plain Language
Common Questions About Cannabis Pizza
Your Cannabis Pizza Game Plan
Cannabis Pizza Explained: Effects, Timing, and Where to Try It
Cannabis pizza comes in two forms: restaurant experiences with precisely dosed slices, or DIY creations using cannabis-infused butter or oil.
Most restaurants use THC distillate for consistency and neutral flavor.
This allows them to control exactly how much THC lands in each slice without adding a strong cannabis taste that might overpower traditional pizza flavors.
Restaurant servings range from 10mg for lighter experiences to 40mg or more for those with higher tolerance.
These numbers matter because eating THC produces different effects than smoking it.
When you eat cannabis, your liver processes it into a compound that creates more intense, longer-lasting sensations than inhaling smoke or vapor.
The effects typically take 45-120 minutes to arrive after eating.
Peak intensity hits around 2-3 hours later.
The full experience can last several hours.
This delayed timeline creates the central challenge with cannabis pizza: you order food because you're hungry now, but the THC effects won't land until long after your meal ends.
Some people find this frustrating and prefer precision-dosed baked goods that they can enjoy at a specific time, with clear expectations about their strength and timing.
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Where You Can Try Cannabis Pizza Right Now
The Mint Cannabis Cafe in Tempe, Arizona, operates as a fully licensed venue serving THC-infused menu items, including pizza.
They follow Arizona's adult-use cannabis regulations, ensuring every item meets state testing and labeling requirements.
The menu features precisely dosed options.
Staff can explain THC amounts and expected timing for each item.
Consumption happens on-site in a controlled environment.
The Pizza Pusha in New York City runs a reservation-based speakeasy offering cannabis-infused pizza by appointment.
According to reports, slices contain approximately 40mg THC each.
Full meals potentially exceed 400mg total.
Most diners cannot finish everything served due to the strong potency.
The operation exists in a grey area of New York's cannabis regulations.
Consumption may be permitted, but sales and preparation face unclear legal status.
Both venues require reservations rather than walk-in service.
This controlled format helps staff manage potency expectations and prevents overconsumption by giving clear guidance before anyone takes their first bite.
The 40mg per slice level at venues like Pizza Pusha represents a substantial THC amount.
For context, many regular cannabis users find that 10-15mg produces noticeable effects.
Starting with a full potent slice often leads to more intense experiences than anticipated.
This explains why plates go unfinished.
Outside these specific locations, cannabis pizza remains scarce.
Most areas lack any legitimate cannabis pizza options.
The few that exist operate through word of mouth rather than public advertising.
The Pizza Timing Problem Everyone Misses
The fundamental issue with cannabis pizza isn't technical or legal.
It's temporal.
When you order pizza, you want food now because you're hungry.
Cannabis edibles operate on a 45-90 minute delay before effects arrive.
This creates a mismatch where the meal ends long before the THC experience begins.
Restaurant reviews consistently show a pattern: diners start eating normally, finish most of their food within 20-30 minutes, then leave the venue.
Effects build during the commute home or while doing other activities.
Some people find this disconnect disappointing since the food experience and cannabis experience never overlap.
The delay also encourages overconsumption.
When your first slice tastes great, and you feel nothing, reaching for a second seems natural.
But that second slice adds more THC to what hasn't hit yet from the first one.
By the time effects arrive 60-90 minutes later, you're experiencing the combined impact of multiple slices at once.
This pattern explains the unfinished plates at potent venues.
People eat more than they need, then realize it as the effects mount.
The practical solution requires strict discipline: eat your planned portion, then wait a full 90 minutes before considering more.
This timing challenge is why many people prefer finishing dinner with a clearly dosed edible instead of building THC into the main course.
A precision-dosed treat consumed after the meal at a known time delivers predictable results without the guessing game.
Watch: All About Edibles
Wisconsin Pizza Incident: Why Clear Labeling Matters
In October 2024, Famous Yeti's Pizza in Wisconsin accidentally used THC-infused oil to prepare regular pizzas.
Dozens of customers consumed the contaminated food without knowing it contained cannabis.
Multiple people visited the hospital reporting dizziness, uneasiness, and disorientation.
The incident happened because contaminated oil was stored alongside regular cooking oil without adequate separation or labeling.
Staff grabbed the wrong container during busy service.
Customers ate what they believed was normal pizza.
For people who don't use cannabis regularly, unexpected THC can create uncomfortable experiences.
The physical sensations feel strange when you don't understand what's happening.
The lack of control adds to the discomfort.
This incident highlights why clear labeling and separate storage systems matter.
Cannabis pizza requires unmistakable markers showing THC content.
It also needs protocols preventing cross-contamination with regular food.
Legitimate venues maintain strict separation between infused and non-infused ingredients.
Staff training ensures everyone understands which products contain cannabis and how to handle them properly.
Third-party lab testing confirms THC amounts match what's advertised.
These safeguards protect both intentional consumers and anyone who might accidentally encounter the product.
How to Make Cannabis Pizza Without Destroying Potency
The Heat Problem
Pizza bakes at temperatures hot enough to degrade THC if you're not careful about protecting infused ingredients.
Cannabis compounds become less potent when exposed to excessive heat for extended periods.
Since pizza crusts need intense heat to develop proper texture and browning, you face a technical challenge: how to infuse the pizza while keeping THC intact.
The solution involves strategic timing and placement.
Add infused oil to components that stay cooler during baking, as cheese added toward the end of cooking.
Drizzle finishing oils over the pizza after it comes out of the oven.
This lets residual heat warm the oil without degrading cannabinoids.
Infused butter mixed into the dough gets some protection from the surrounding flour and water.
You should still minimize direct heat exposure by keeping baking times reasonable.
Another approach: make your pizza crust normally, then brush infused oil onto the finished product while it's still warm.
This preserves maximum potency while still delivering flavor.
Activation and Infusion Basics
THCa becomes more potent when heated through a process that transforms the raw plant compounds into their active forms.
This happens when you expose ground flower to heat in your oven before infusing it into fats.
Start with a 1:1 ratio of ground cannabis flower to unsalted butter for a basic batch.
One cup of flower to one cup of butter works well for beginners.
Spread your ground flower on a baking sheet and heat it in the oven at 220°F for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Once the flower turns brownish-green, it's ready for infusion.
Combine your heated flower with butter and water in a saucepan on very low heat.
Simmer gently for 2-3 hours to allow complete infusion.
Strain out the plant material through cheesecloth.
You're left with cannabis-infused butter ready for pizza dough or finishing applications.
Starting with quality THCa flower that includes third-party lab testing ensures you know the actual THC percentage you're working with.
This makes your final calculations more reliable.
Per-Slice THC Calculations
Accurate potency math prevents both disappointing weak batches and uncomfortably strong ones.
If you start with 7 grams of flower testing at 20% THC, that's theoretically 1,400mg of THCa.
But you'll lose potency at multiple stages.
Account for heating efficiency because not all THCa reaches full potency even with proper technique.
Your 1,400mg becomes approximately 1,100mg.
Extraction into butter captures roughly half of the available cannabinoids, as some remain stuck in plant material.
You're down to approximately 550mg.
Straining causes additional loss as infused butter clings to plant matter and equipment.
This leaves approximately 400-500mg of usable THC in your finished butter.
Divide your total THC by the number of slices to determine strength per serving.
An 8-slice pizza using the butter described above contains roughly 50-60mg per slice.
That's strong for most people.
Consider using less infused butter or mixing it with regular butter to reduce potency.
Conservative starters aim for 5-10mg per slice, especially for people new to edibles.
Mix your infused ingredients thoroughly into the dough or sauce to ensure even distribution.
Uneven mixing creates hot spots where some slices have far more THC than others.
This makes potency unpredictable.
Common Mistakes That Ruin Batches
Overheating your infused oil during the preparation stage destroys cannabinoids before they ever reach the pizza.
Keep temperatures low and gentle throughout the infusion process.
Uneven mixing leaves some slices nearly THC-free while others contain concentrated amounts.
Spend extra time incorporating infused ingredients fully into your dough, sauce, or oil.
Adding infused butter directly to dough that then bakes for extended periods exposes THC to prolonged intense heat.
Consider shorter baking times, protective coatings from other ingredients, or post-bake applications instead.
Skipping the calculation step and guessing at potency leads to unpredictable results.
Take time to estimate your final THC amounts per slice based on realistic extraction rates, not optimistic assumptions.
Why Cannabis Pizza Isn't Available for Delivery
No major hemp-derived THC brands offer cannabis pizza for home delivery despite having the infrastructure to produce baked goods.
The absence isn't an oversight.
It reflects genuine operational challenges that make pizza economically unviable as a shelf-stable product.
Per-slice dosing consistency becomes exponentially harder with pizza compared to individually wrapped cookies or gummies.
Toppings are distributed unevenly.
Sauces pool in certain areas.
Cheese coverage varies slice to slice.
Maintaining consistent THC amounts across every slice requires precision that standard pizza-making equipment doesn't provide.
Food safety requirements for perishable products with meat, cheese, and fresh vegetables demand certifications beyond what simple baked goods need.
Pizza requires refrigeration or freezing.
It needs handling protocols for multiple temperature-sensitive ingredients.
This increases both regulatory burden and operational complexity.
Cold-chain shipping adds substantial cost.
Frozen pizza arrives damaged more often than shelf-stable items.
It requires faster delivery windows and faces higher shipping fees.
These economics work for major frozen food brands with massive scale, but not for emerging cannabis companies.
Regulatory uncertainty around hemp-derived products makes investing in complex food manufacturing risky.
Mood offers millions of users hemp-derived THC, which is 100% legal and fully compliant with cannabis.
You may have heard that the legality of hemp-derived THC is currently under attack, which could threaten the wellness of so many.
Read here to learn more about legal hemp-derived cannabis and why it remains accessible.
Pizza as a communal food creates liability concerns.
People share pizza at gatherings where not everyone wants cannabis.
This increases the risk of accidental consumption.
Individually portioned edibles with clear labeling solve this problem by making the product's nature unmistakable.
This is why cannabis edible makers focus on cookies, brownies, and gummies instead of pizza.
Those formats deliver consistent amounts, ship easily, store safely, and maintain quality for reasonable timeframes.
How to Identify Safe Cannabis Pizza Experiences
Legitimate cannabis pizza operations provide clear THC labeling for each slice or serving.
Staff can explain exactly how much THC you're consuming and when effects typically begin.
They understand timing and can guide your choices based on experience level.
Licensed venues follow state regulations for testing, labeling, and serving limits.
They operate openly with proper permits and inspections.
Grey-area venues may offer cannabis pizza in locations where laws remain unclear or unenforced.
These operations carry higher legal risk and may lack consistent oversight.
Red flags include no potency information provided.
Staff who can't answer basic questions about THC amounts or timing signal problems.
Unclear ingredient sourcing raises concerns.
Reluctance to discuss how the product is made suggests something to hide.
Legitimate operations welcome these questions because transparency builds trust.
The gold standard includes third-party lab testing with published Certificates of Analysis.
These documents show exact cannabinoid content and confirm the absence of contaminants.
They verify that what's advertised matches what's actually in the food.
Ask whether lab results are available before you order.
Quality operators provide them readily.
Legal Framework in Plain Language
Cannabis pizza products are for adults 21 and older in jurisdictions where permitted.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Mood offers millions of users hemp-derived THC, which is 100% legal and fully compliant with cannabis.
You may have heard that the legality of hemp-derived THC is currently under attack, which could threaten the wellness of so many.
Read here to learn more about legal hemp-derived cannabis and why it remains accessible.
State laws vary significantly.
Some states allow adult-use cannabis sales and consumption in licensed venues.
Others prohibit all cannabis activity regardless of federal hemp status.
Before seeking cannabis pizza, verify your local regulations.
Recent legislative activity has proposed tightening definitions of legal hemp products.
This creates uncertainty for producers and consumers about which products remain federally compliant.
The legal situation continues evolving.
What's available today may change.
Common Questions About Cannabis Pizza
How long do effects last?
Effects from cannabis pizza typically last several hours.
Onset begins 45-120 minutes after eating.
Peak intensity arrives around 2-3 hours after consumption.
Most people find the effects fully subside within five hours.
This varies based on THC amount, individual metabolism, and tolerance.
What helps if you feel too intense?
Some people find lemon water helpful during intense experiences.
The limonene in citrus may provide a settling effect.
Individual responses vary.
Finding a calm, comfortable environment helps.
Remember that effects are temporary and will pass with time.
Patience remains the most reliable approach.
Can you freeze cannabis pizza dough?
Yes, cannabinoids remain stable when frozen.
You can prepare infused pizza dough, freeze it in portions, and use it later without significant potency loss.
This allows batch preparation for multiple future uses.
Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator before using.
Handle it the same way you would any pizza dough.
Why is it called "Stoner's Pizza Joint"?
Stoner's Pizza Joint is a pizza chain whose name references stone ovens, not cannabis.
The company uses traditional stone oven cooking methods for their pizzas.
They do not sell cannabis-infused pizza.
The name similarity causes confusion but represents coincidental wordplay rather than cannabis branding.
Your Cannabis Pizza Game Plan
Cannabis pizza exists in two forms: licensed cafe experiences offering precision-dosed menu items, and reservation-based venues serving potent slices in controlled settings.
Both require patience with the 45-120 minute onset delay that makes effects arrive long after your meal ends.
DIY approaches demand careful attention to protecting THC through the baking process.
Add infused oils to cooler components or apply them after baking to preserve potency.
Calculate conservative per-slice amounts using realistic extraction rates.
Mix ingredients thoroughly for even distribution.
The timing mismatch between immediate hunger and delayed effects explains why many people choose precision-dosed edibles instead.
Andy's Bakery produces small-batch cannabis cookies and brownies with clear labeling, third-party lab testing, and consistent amounts per serving.
These individually portioned treats deliver predictable experiences without the guessing game of communal food.
Whether you explore cannabis pizza at a specialty venue, attempt your own infused creation, or opt for tried-and-tested alternatives, understanding timing, potency, and heat protection sets you up for better outcomes.
Choose the approach that matches your comfort level and goals.
Important: This article is for educational purposes only. The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these statements. Cannabis products are intended for adults 21 years of age or older in jurisdictions where permitted. Start with low THC amounts and wait at least 90 minutes before consuming more.
