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Learning how to make cannabutter is easily one of the best skills you can take on as a stoner. Because edibles are such an awesome, delicious, potent treat, having the ability to make them on your own is key. Of course, you need cannabutter to do so. But, there are quite a few sets of directions on how to make cannabutter in less-than-efficient ways.
This guide will teach you how to make cannabutter and activate the THC to its most potent form. There are two common ways to make cannabuter. The first is with a crockpot. I am personally not a fan of this method, so let’s skip to the second way: With water and a stovetop pot. For me (and almost every stoner I’ve ever met), this is by far the best method to make cannabutter.
Here are a few hints and tricks to consider prior to learning how to make cannabutter. If you are unsure whether or not you have all of the proper equipment, you definitely need to check out my list of required kitchen accessories to make weed butter. Always remember that cannabutter is a 1:1 substitution for regular butter in any recipe. So, if a box of brownie mix calls for a stick of butter, use a stick of cannabutter. Don’t bake your cannabutter at temperatures above 375 degrees Fahrenheit–the THC will burn off and you won’t get stoned. Lastly, have fun!
Ingredients
1 oz. Cannabis
1 lb. Butter
4 c Water
Recipe produces four sticks of cannabutter. If you have a more or less bud, simply divide or multiply the butter accordingly. So, if you have a half-ounce, use two sticks of butter. Or, if you’d like to reduce the potency increase the butter, while reducing the cannabis. Just keep in mind these proportions, otherwise you may end up making the wrong dosage.
Follow along with how to make cannabutter the easiest and best way.
1. Grind up the Bud
Green Technology
When you start to make cannabutter, grind up your bud. This breaks your greens into smaller pieces, thus allowing more of the plant to be exposed to heat. Heat activates the THC. If you’re an active stoner, you more than likely already have an awesome grinder on-hand. But, if you don’t, or if you want a new one, you should definitely consider the Liberator Set.
I’m going to preface this with the fact that Green Technology (the company who sells the set) reached out and sent me this grinder. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. But, as soon as I actually used this grinder, I was blown away. It grinds ridiculously smoothly in both directions, and it collects kief faster than my personal favorite grinder. Plus, if you grow your own plants, you can actually use your home-grown bud because it comes with a comb cleaner, pollen scraper, and cutting scissors. This grinder definitely impressed me, and if you need a new one, you’ll be just as impressed.
If you’ve never used a hand grinder before, check out this video to learn how to do so.
Price: $16.88 (23 percent off MSRP)
Buy the The Liberator Set here.
2. Decarb Your Greens
Amazon
Decarbing your greens is a super important step in making weed butter. The process of decarboxylation activates THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol – the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) and allows you to actually get stoned. Raw cannabis is not psychoactive, and thus, non-decarbed bud will not give you the high you desire. In order to decarb your bud, simply place it on a flat baking sheet, and heat your oven to 240 degrees Fahrenheit. When it reaches the maximum temp, bake it for 30-40 minutes. It should feel crumbly when handled, and be light-to-medium-brown in color.
Most people have a regular baking sheet on-hand, as a part of regular cooking equipment. However, if you’re in the market for a new one, or want one specifically for decarbing your weed, then I definitely recommend the Nordic Ware Commercial Baker’s Half-Sheet. It’s perfect for all your cannabutter making needs.
If you’ve never decarbed weed and prefer a visual, check out this YouTube video.
Price: $12.99
Buy the Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet here.
3. Boil 4 Cups of Water
Up next is boiling four cups of water. Put that sucker on high and cover it if you have a top (it’ll make the water boil faster). Then sit back and wait. Depending on your stovetop and the type of pot you use, your water may take more or less time to actually boil.
Having a properly sized pot on-hand is essential to the success of your cannabutter making adventures. If you use one that’s too large, it’ll take far more time to make. If you use one that’s too small, well, you won’t get to enjoy all of your cannabutter. So, using a three-quart pot is ideal. The T-fal A85724 Pot hits all of the requirements: Even heating, perfect size, great price. You can’t beat it for cannabutter.
If you want a refresher on how to boil water, check out this clip below.
Price: $19.99 (43 percent off MSRP)
Buy the T-fal A85724 Specialty Nonstick Pot here.
4. Reduce Heat to Medium-Low, Add Butter
Amazon
Once you’ve brought the four cups of water to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Then add butter. This recipe calls for four sticks of butter (a pound) but divide or multiply according to how much bud you have. The butter will slowly melt, owing to the heat. It will take a few minutes, and feel free to stir occasionally. Although, stirring is not necessary.
Unsalted butter is best for making cannabutter. Because not all recipes require salted butter, you’ll be remiss if you use it. You can always add salt, but you can never take it away. The Horizon Organic, Unsalted Butter is perfect. But, if you’re dairy-free, my personal favorite is Earth Balance. Either way, you’re well on the road to infused butter.
Price: $5.99
Buy the Horizon Organic, Unsalted Butter here.
5. Add Decarboxylated Bud to the Water
Magical Butter
After the butter fully melts, add in the decarboxylated bud to the water. The bud will float on top, and there should be at least two inches between the greens and the bottom of the pot. If there’s not, simply add more water. Adding more won’t mess with the potency–but not adding it may ruin your cannabutter. Definitely monitor levels of water. It filters out all the stuff that doesn’t add to your high.
Get your spatulas ready because you’ll be needing them in the next few steps. Check out this awesome set by Magical Butter. It features three different sizes, so you’re covered no matter how much cannabutter you’re making.
Price: $24.99
Buy the Magical Butter Silicone Spatulas 3-PACK here.
6. Cook on Medium-Low for 1.5 Hours
OnlyWax
Once you’ve added the decarboxylated greens to the mixture (and made sure there’s plenty of water), then you’re ready to cook this green-y goodness for an hour-and-a-half. Stir the contents of the pot over the course of 90-minutes. Ultimately the liquid should bubble, but not turn into a regular boil. Keep an eye on your stovetop the whole time.
Because cannabis is such a smelly plant when activated, you may be interested in reducing the odor. There are a few ways to do so (see my list of the top ways to cover the smell of weed), but the easiest is with a candle. This set of four candles is environmentally-friendly and each one has a different scent, depending on your mood. You can never go wrong with candles.
Price: $15.98
Buy the Onlywax Vegan Travel Tin Candles, 4-Pack here.
7. Create Filter to Remove Bud From Liquid
Wonder Sky
So there are actually two popular ways to remove the bud from the butter. The first way is with cheesecloth and a bowl. (You can find unbleached cheesecloth here). Line the bowl with two layers of the cheesecloth, and then pour the butter/bud mixture onto it. I personally don’t prefer this method, instead opting to use the coffee filter method.
With the coffee filter method, you simply use a pour over coffee dripper, pour the butter/bud mixture inside, and let the liquid run through it. Instead of having to deal with the messiness of cheesecloth (although if you prefer that method, by all means, go for it), a coffee cone dripper mitigates a lengthy clean up process.
If you don’t already have one, the Paperless Pour Over Coffee Cone Dripper is perfect. It’s a phenomenal price, doesn’t use a paper filter (hello, environmentally-friendly), and works like a charm. Your cannabutter making experiences will drastically improve.
Price: $20.67
Buy the Paperless Pour Over Coffee Cone Dripper with Stand here.
8. With Rubber Gloves and Spatula, Squeeze All of the Greens
Amazon
As soon as the butter appears to have seeped through the cheesecloth or filter, there’s another step you must take. There’s a ton of cannabutter stuck in the seemingly-empty greens. In order to get it out, you must squish the leftover bud. A word of caution: This material just came off of the stovetop–it’s still hot!
So, throw on a pair of rubber gloves, grab that handy dandy spatula I talked about earlier, and get to squishing down that bud. Having a big pack of rubber gloves in your house is always a good idea. Snag a box and keep it under your sink. Cannabutter or not, you’ll be happy you did.
Price: $8.96 (23 percent off MSRP)
Buy the Nitrile Food-Safe Gloves here.
9.Place Butter Into Fridge Overnight
Cspring
Once you’ve properly filtered the bud from your cannabutter, you need to move it to the fridge. If you used the pour over coffee drip, you may want to transfer it to a regular, flat bottom bowl or mold. Of course, if you used the cheesecloth filtration method, you’ll already have your cannabutter in a bowl. Placing the weed butter in the fridge overnight allows it to harden for use.
While you can easily use a bowl or mold without a flat bottom, you’ll have a harder time cleaning up if you do. Magical Butter created molds specifically for cannabutter–and is a well-known name in cannabis kitchen accessories industry. The mold features multiple sizes, so you’re set no matter how much weed butter you choose to make. Plus, you’ll have proper portion sizes, making it easy to bake. This butter mold is a solid choice.
Price: $14.99
Buy the Silicone Butter Mold Tray here.
10. Cut Around Edges of Bowl With a Knife, and Butter Will Pop Out
Vremi
The next morning, remove the cannabutter from the fridge. Gently cut around the edges with a sharp knife, to assist the butter in popping out. After you carve all the way around, you’ll realize why you boiled the butter with water. The water will appear to be a gross brown color, having filtered out all the “unnecessary stuff”. What you’re left with is a chunk of pure THC-infused butter.
You probably have a set of knives you can already use. But if you don’t, definitely consider the Vremi 10 Piece Colorful Knife Set. They not only look awesome with their vibrant colors, but they’re also a phenomenal cutting tool.
Price: $14.99
Buy the Vremi 10 Piece Colorful Knife Set here.
11. Use or Store Butter
Amazon
You’ve now reached a cross-roads in your cannabutter making process. Do you add the infused butter to a recipe, or do you save it for later? The choice is obviously yours, but I’ll still give you my two cents: Make the freakin’ edibles! You already put in the time and effort, why not enjoy the spoils?
If you’re gluten-free like me, you should seriously consider trying King Arthur’s Brownie Mix. It’s pretty dang delicious–your friends won’t know or care they’re eating gluten-free. (Grab a box of it here). If you don’t need to be gf, then consider the Mary Jane Fixin’s IncrEDIBLE Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix. It’s like a chocolate explosion in your mouth–amazing both stoned and sober.
And, if you’re really not in the mood to bake, you can always store your cannabutter for use at a later date. This awesome butter container by LOCK & LOCK is perfect for your cannabutter storage needs. Snag one here.
Here’s a run-through of how to make pot brownies if you’re more of a visual person.
Price: $14
Buy the Mary Jane Fixin’s IncrEDIBLE Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix here.
12. Make Your Life Easier
GrassCity
If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this post and are still thinking, “Holy cow does that sound like a lot of work. I don’t want to screw up!” Then you’re not alone. Learning how to make cannabutter feels intimidating–especially if you’re just reading directions or following along with a YouTube video. Rather than getting your knickers in a twist, I’ve got the perfect solution: The Magical Butter Machine.
This baby does everything I just explained above…without you having to lift a finger. The only thing you have to do is switch it on, put in the ingredients, and you’re set to go. It honestly couldn’t be more simple to make THC-infused butter. Stop feeling intimidated by edibles–you’ve got the baking part down pat. Make some super potent cannabutter, and you’ll be soaring with the best of them.
Price: $174.95
Buy the Magical Butter MB2E Botanical Extractor Machine here.
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Make Cannabutter the Right Way: A Stoner Secret