Cecelia Thorn
An herbal infuser makes it easy to make your own potent edibles at home. Whenever I make THC-infused coconut oil, I use my LEVO machine. (Scroll down for our LEVO 2 review, or check out our how-to guide to cooking with cannabis for more details.)
You’ll find some more affordable herb infusers included below, too.
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Price: $99.99 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $299.00 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $189.40 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $135.75 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $238.99 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Price: $75.96 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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1. HighPlant HerbAbility Infusion Machine
Pros:- Can both decarb and infuse your oil
- Stainless steel canister
- Can infuse over two cups of oil or butter at once
- Can decarb 1.5 ounces of herb at once
- Wide range of temperature and time settings
- Glass lid seals tightly and traps odors inside
Cons:- Newer product with fewer reviews
- Lowest temperature is 130 degrees
- Not great for other non-cannabis related kitchen projects
The HighPlant HerbAbility Infusion Machine stands out because it includes a decarb feature. It also features a glass lid, which means you can watch the decarb and infusion processes while they happen. For a machine that can both decarboxylate and infuse your oil, it’s very affordable.
You can decarboxylate up to 1.5 ounces of herb at once. You can then infuse up to 550 milliliters of oil or butter (or over two cups) at once in the food-grade stainless steel canister.
The lid seals tightly, preventing cannabis odors from filling your home. The unit comes with a stainless steel strainer with tiny holes, which allow you to remove the plant material from your oil without using cheesecloth or getting messy. It even comes with a tamper you push down to squeeze the last infused oily goodness from the plant material after the infusion cycle.
You can set both the time and temperature manually using the buttons on top. (Or you can choose from five pre-set options.) Combined with the glass lid, this gives you great control over your oil-infusion process.
Find more HighPlant HerbAblility Infusion Machine information and reviews here.
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2. Editor’s Choice: Levo 2 Oil Infuser
Pros:- Includes both decarboxylation cycle and infusion cycle
- Makes a fun noise when decarboxylating is done (which can be hard to tell when you do it in your oven)
- Comes in several sleek colors
- Less smell than when you decarb cannabis and make oil *without* an herb infuser machine
- Minimal clean up
Cons:- I couldn't get the app to work on my phone (but that may be due to user error)
- The herb pod can be slightly difficult to clean (I found it's best to use a small brush)
- Several parts to keep track of (like the magnetic pod and silicone cap)
The Levo Oil Infuser is nothing short of amazing. When I received one for free to test out, it totally changed my canna-oil-making world.
Before receiving my Levo 2, I’d been making infused canna-coconut oil the old-fashioned way. This involved using a double boiler. (In this method, you fill one pot with water, then place another pot on top, to prevent the oil from burning.)
This was manageable, if a little wobbly. But it was always messy. And it was hard to get all the infused oil out of the pot on top. And it was even harder to tell when it was done.
The Levo Oil Infuser solves that problem perfectly. It even makes a friendly beeping noise when it’s done.
Plus, when I was using my old method, the first step always threw me for a loop. And that first step — called “decarboxylation” — is critically important.
When you “decarb” your marijuana stash, you’re activating the THC. If you skip this step, you might end up with some lovely flavored oil, but it won’t work as medicine (or get you stoned).
You can manage this step without a fancy machine, but it’s challenging. You can Google the hell out of this step, but you’re always left with lingering questions: How hot should my oven be? How do I avoid burning the herb while decarb-ing it? How can I tell when the THC is fully activated?
I’d been trying to refine my answers to these questions for years. Then the Levo 2 entered my life.
You simply place your herb into a metal pod, cover it with the included silicone cap, and set your Levo machine to the “decarb cycle.”
Your Levo 2 will alert you when that the cycle is over. (It takes less than an hour.) When you hear it its cheerful chirping sound, you know that your THC has been fully activated. Then you add your oil of choice.
(I find coconut oil and olive oil more verstatile than butter, but, obviously, butter is delicious — especially if you’re planning on baking decadent pot brownies or cookies.)
A few hours later, when the infusion cycle is over, the machine beeps its happy chirping noise at you. Then you simply place a jar below the spout, and press a button, and watch the machine dispense your beautiful green oil neatly into your jar. Enjoy!
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3. Best For Experimenting with Magical Butter Recipes: Magical Butter Infuser Machine
Pros:- Great for large batches (Infuse up to 5 cups at a time!)
- Easy to customize temperature and time settings
- Features an automatic cleaning cycle
- You don't need to grind or crumble your plant material before starting
- Includes blender function with sharp blades to shred your herb
- You can use an ounce of herb at a time
Cons:- The machine does NOT decarboxylate the herb for you
- Magical Butter "Decarbox" unit sold separately
- You still need to strain your finished oil through mesh (like you do when using old-school canna-butter methods)
- This straining process can be messy
The Magical Butter Machine stands out because it makes large batches, features an automated cleaning cycle, and comes with the popular Magical Butter Recipes.
It’s also easy to customize the infusion cycle on your own. You can choose from various temperature and time settings (instead of simply turning your machine to the “infusion cycle,” as you would with the Levo Oil Machine reviewed above).
Maybe you want to experiment with extracting the cannabinoids from your herb at dfiferent temperatures. (Perhaps higher temperatures would work better for older herb?) Or maybe you want to see if you can make potent-enough butter in just one hour. (The Magical Butter Machine includes 1, 2, 4, and 8 hour cycles; you just press the button for your preferred cycle.)
If you’re this type of experimental canna-chef, then the Magical Butter Machine is probably the right herb infuser machine for you.
However, at a similar price point to the Levo 2, it is missing some of the features of its competitor.
For example, the Magic Butter Machine does not decarboxylate the cannabis for you. Instead, you have to decarb the herb on your own before using the machine.
You can buy the Magical Butter “Decarbox” unit separately, or you can simply use your oven at a low temperature (around 250 degrees Fahrenheit).
However, this is the part of the canna-butter making process that normally makes your entire home reek of marijuana.
So if you’re looking for an herb infuser because you want to make edibles without stinking up your entire apartment building, this is probably not the machine for you.
(The company’s “Decarbox” Unit claims to minimize cannabis odors, because of its silicone walls, but multiple reviewers said the cannabis scent still escaped anyway.)
Still, if you want to make large batches at once, the Magical Butter Machine is perfect for you. You can use an ounce of herb at once!
Plus, it includes an automated cleaning cycle, and it looks super easy. And “automated” is really the perfect way to clean, once you’ve already eaten several of your delicious pot brownies.
That’s why we think this is one of the best stoner gifts on Amazon today. Get it for a friend who loves edibles! You’ll help them save a ton of money, compared to buying edibles in dispensaries.
Find more Magical Butter Machine information and reviews here.
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4. Best Knockoff Magic Butter Machine at a Cheaper Price: The “Infuzium 420”
Pros:- Appears almost identical to the Magical Butter Machine reviewed above -- although Infuzium 420 representatives are careful to emphasize that they are NOT affiliated
- Much less expensive than the Magical Butter Machine
- Can make batches of various sizes (between one cup and 8 cups of butter or oil), which company reps say sets it apart from its more-expensive competitor
- Comes with two mesh bags for filtering your finished oil to separate it from the plant matter
- Includes 3 year warranty
Cons:- The machine does NOT decarboxylate the herb for you
- You have to decarb your herb separately before placing it into the unit (while the Levo 2 reviewed above does that step for you)
- You still need to strain your finished oil through mesh (again, the Levo oil infuser does this step for you)
The “Infuzium 420” stands out because it basically has the exact same features as the popular Magical Butter Machine — but it’s much cheaper.
Like the Magical Butter Machine, it’s perfect for the canna-chef who wants to experiment with different extraction temperatures and times. (You can customize these settings yourself, after placing your herb and butter or oil into the machine.)
Like the Magical Butter Machine, the Infuzium 420 includes a self-cleaning cycle.
Like the Magical Butter Machine, it also includes blender blades to shred your plant matter before infusion.
And it comes with basically all the exact same accessories — right down to the silicone oven mitt and the booklet of recipes. Just like the Magical Butter Machine.
So is this an exact replica of the more expensive Magical Butter Machine?
The company maintains that the Infuzium 420 is “in NO manner affiliated with any other manufacturer’s herbal infusers or extractor machines.”
The company representative explained that the Infuzium 420 is actually a “next generation” herbal infuser, because it allows users to infuse anywhere from one to eight sticks of butter (or the equivalent in oil) at once.
The product allows this range of batch sizes because the thermometer is “located at the bottom of the inside of the product.” This thermometer placement allows the user to make smaller batches.
It looks like this machine also comes with two different mesh bags (in two different micron sizes), whereas the Magical Butter Machine comes with one mesh bag. You use the mesh bag to filter your infused butter or oil, leaving just the plant matter in the mesh bag afterwards.
It could be nice to have two mesh bags. And it’s always nice to spend less.
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5. Ardent FX Decarboxylator – 3 in 1 Portable Decarboxylation & Oil Infuser Machine
Pros:- Decarb cycle and infusion setting in one machine
- Accomodates four ounces at once
- No smells escape
Cons:- Expensive
- Buttons may be harder to use than comparable models
- Cannot be used in countries with 220V power supply
The Ardent FX Decarboxylation & Oil Infuser Machine stands out because it can both decarboxylate and infuse your oil in one machine, and because Ardent was actually a pioneer in early decarb machines.
In fact, years before I’d ever heard of herbal infusers (and long before I started writing this post), I received a free sample of an Ardent decarboxylation machine. I thought it was awesome! Of course, I stopped using it after I received a Levo 2, because then I could decarb and infuse in one machine, which made things much simpler.
But when I first started using my Ardent decarb machine, I was blown away by how well it decarboxylated my herb, and how much easier it was than the old-school way (using the oven). So I can confidently assume that this Ardent FX machine decarbs and infuses oil just as well.
Also, it can decarb and infuse up to four ounces at once, and the silicone sleeve is dishwasher-safe.
Find more Ardent FX Decarboxylator information and reviews here.
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6. Best Budget Option: Herbal Chef Electric Butter Infuser
Pros:- Much cheaper than other butter infuser machines
- Works for large batches of around 5 cups (but doesn't work so well for smaller batches)
- Can fit about a half ounce (or 14 grams) of dry herb
- Can set temperature and time to your liking
Cons:- Reviewers point out that you need to make a large batch at once (otherwise the machine won't work)
- Some reviewers found it to be cheaply made
- No decarb feature
- Reviewers say it's very loud
- Does NOT strain plant material from finished butter for you (only the Levo reviewed above appears to do that)
- Does NOT include mesh bags to strain material (most of the other models included in this guide do include that
- Doesn't include any other accessories that come with more expensive models, either
The Herbal Chef Electric Butter Infuser is a great option if you’re on a tight budget.
Of course, like most things that are most cheaper than their competitors, it may not last as long, or work quite as well.
This unit may be noisier than its competitors, according to reviews.
Also, unlike the other machines on this list, you can’t really make a small batch. For the machine to work properly, you really need a half ounce of herb, and to infuse about 5 cups of butter or oil at once.
If you always have plenty of herb on hand, this won’t be a problem.
And unlike our favorite herb infusers, this model does not include a decarb feature. That means you’ll have to do that smelly, tedious step BEFORE you start infusing any butter or oil.
Also, this machine does not do the straining process for you.
Find more Herbal Chef Electric Butter Infuser information and reviews here.
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7. ONGROK Small Butter Infuser
Pros:- Small size takes up less room
- Can make smaller batches (as small as three quarters of a cup of oil, up to two cups of oil)
- Serrated blades help chop and mix the herb during infusion
- Comes with fine filter to remove plant material from finished oil
Cons:- No decarboxylation setting
- Very loud
- Can only infuse up to two cups oil or butter at once
The ONGROK Small Butter Infuser stands out because it’s so small, so it will take up less space in your cupboards or on your countertop.
It also has serrated blades, so it will chop up your herb while it infuses it. Luckily, it comes with a fine filter, so you can still strain out all your shredded plant material.
Of course, because it’s smaller, you have to make smaller batches. It can infuse up to two cups at once, and can make batches as small as three-quarters of a cup.
This machine does not have a decarb setting, so you’ll have to decarb your cannabis separately beforehand. You can either do that in the oven, or, for more precision, you can purchase a decarboxylation device like the Ardent Nova.
Find more ONGROK Small Butter Infuser information and reviews here.
What does a herbal infuser do?
It simplifies the process of making cannabis-infused oil or canna-butter. The herb infuser eliminates a lot of the guesswork, by helping the cannabis seep into the oil (or butter) at the correct temperature, for the right amount of time.
It also eliminates the need for a double-boiler, which many edibles enthusiasts previously used to make sure they didn't burn their precious oil.
Some of these herbal infusion machines also help "decarb" the cannabis. This is the heating process that activates the THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid in marijuana.
You definitely want to check whether your machine has this option because decarboxylation is the critical first step to making cannabutter or canna-oil.
Even with one of these machines, making cannabis oil is a process. If you're looking for an easier solution, you might be interested in HHC edibles, which can be easily ordered online (and can get you high).
Would a butter infuser like these make a good gift?
Yes! It would make an excellent gift for anyone who loves edibles. And if they currently buy their edibles in dispensaries, this gift will help them save a ton of money.
It would also be a great gift for anyone who has a surplus of marijuana lying around. For example, anyone who grows their own cannabis would be a great candidate for this gift. (They would probably also love a rosin press machine. Or, if they really grow and harvest a ton of herb, they'd probably appreciate a trim machine.)
It could be a particularly good gift for a young woman. Gen Z women, in fact, are the fastest-growing consumers of legal weed. (And the data shows that they buy more edibles than their male counterparts.)
So help your favorite twenty-something woman save money at the dispensary, by giving her one of these butter infusers, so she can make her own edibles at home. An oil infuser like this is one of the best gifts for women in their 20s.