How to Make THC Butter: Quick & Easy Cannabutter Recipe

What if you could create your dream THC edible from the comfort of your own home? With some handy THC butter at your side, you absolutely can – and should! – create edibles that speak to you. Whether it’s brownies, cookies, or even homemade THC-infused mac ‘n’ cheese, there’s no shortage of unique ways to get cookin’ with cannabis. But first, you’ll need to make a THC-infused fat base. Now entering: cannabutter.

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THC butter is quick and easy to make but can seriously shake up your culinary game. Below, we’ll unpack the basics of making THC butter and give you all the info you need to get started.

How to Make THC Butter in 3 Simple Steps

As you get ready to make some killer THC butter, it helps to familiarize yourself with the process and why it matters.

Step 1: Decarboxylation

You can’t just toss any THC flower into some butter and expect great results. Instead, you’ll need to begin the cannabutter cooking process by decarboxylating your flower. This involves applying heat over time, which transforms molecules in the flower into ones that your body can actually process. 

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This step is a key part of how edibles work. When you smoke or vape cannabis, you’re decarbing, whether you realize it or not. Applying heat by slowly baking the flower or combusting it with a flame is the same underlying process we’ll replicate by baking our flower later.

Step 2: Infusion

By adding decarboxylated flower to a fat – including butter – you give the cannabinoids inside the plant a chance to work their magic. That’s because THC and other cannabinoids are fat-soluble. The longer they’re exposed to fat, the more they break down and can be absorbed into your body.

Step 3: Straining & Storage

With your butter infused, the last step is removing the physical flower particles from your product. No one wants to take a bite of ground-up bud! A fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth can help you eliminate flower chunks and get a smooth, creamy cannabutter. 

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Sadly, like any other butter, your cannabutter won’t last forever. If you store it properly in an airtight container in either your fridge or freezer, you can expect to get about six months of shelf life out of it. But your butter may lose its potency over time, and the butter itself may start to go bad. So, don’t make a mountain of THC butter if you’re unsure how to use it!

Quick & Simple Cannabutter Recipe

It’s time to hit the kitchen and get started on your perfect batch of cannabutter. Follow these simple steps to get the best results every time.

What You’ll Need

• ½ oz/14 grams cannabis flower*
• Foil or parchment paper
• Sheet pan or baking dish
• Grinder
• 1 cup water*
• 1 cup of butter* – we recommend using unsalted
• Medium saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• Food thermometer
• Mesh strainer or cheesecloth

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*Note: You may use less or more cannabis flower if you’d like. Adjust the butter and water ratio to match. You may also use more water and butter for smaller amounts of cannabis for a more subtle-tasting result.

Cannabutter Directions

To decarboxylate your cannabis so you can use it to create THC-infused butter:

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1. Preheat your oven to 220℉.
2. Line a baking sheet or glass baking dish with foil or parchment paper. Set it aside.
3. Grab your cannabis buds and carefully break them into large pieces. Spread these pieces evenly across your prepared baking sheet.
4. Place the sheet or dish on the center rack of the oven. Bake for about 20-45 minutes for dry, old, or lower-quality flower. Bake moist and higher-quality flower for around one hour or even longer. You’ll know it’s ready when your bud goes from green to a deep brown – not black – hue.
5. Monitor the flower and shake or lightly mix it around the sheet every 10-15 minutes to ensure it gets evenly cooked (and doesn’t burn).
6. Remove your flower from the oven. Let cool.
7. Using a grinder or your hands, break up your decarbed weed. Place it in a container for storage or use in the next step.

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With your decarboxylated flower ready to go, you’re ready to move on to the real deal: making the cannabutter itself. To cook, infuse, and finish up your THC butter:

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1. Place your medium saucepan over low heat. Add your water and butter and let it melt down.
2. Add your ground decarboxylated weed. Mix with your wooden spoon until well combined.
3. Cover the saucepan with its lid. Ensure the heat is low; you don’t want to scald or burn your butter!
4. Allow the mixture to simmer for several hours. The longer you let it simmer, the stronger your cannabutter will be. We suggest aiming for three to four hours in most cases.
5. Stir your cannabutter every 30 minutes. Check its temperature to ensure it doesn’t go above 180℉.
6. Once your THC butter is infused to your liking, turn off the heat and allow it to cool a bit so you don’t burn yourself as you strain.
7. Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a sealable container. 
8. Let the butter finish cooling until it reaches room temperature.
9. Use immediately or seal your container and place it in the fridge or freezer. It should last for around six months if stored properly.

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And you’re done! Making THC butter is pretty easy. The tricky part is keeping the temperature at the sweet spot – not too high, not too low. If you want to make a lot of THC-infused butter at once, it might be wise to work in batches to more readily control its temperature.

How to Use THC-Infused Butter: Edible Ideas

With your cannabutter at your side, all that’s left to figure out is how to use it! Homemade THC edibles are the obvious choice. Essentially, any recipe you use butter in can be made into a THC edible. Of course, the more butter a recipe calls for, the more potential for a powerful punch it carries.

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You may want to know how potent your cannabutter is before you use it so you can dose it properly. If you know how strong the flower you used to create the THC butter was, you’re off to a good start. If you’re not sure, you can use a ballpark estimate to get some idea of what you can expect.

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To keep the numbers simple, let’s say you used a ½ oz (14 grams) of flower marked as 25% THC. That means that roughly 3.5 grams (or 3500 mg) of your product are made up of THC itself. Based on the amount of butter you used (and accounting for some cannabinoid loss), you can figure out roughly how many mg of THC are in each serving – whether that be a cup, tablespoon, etc. – of butter you use. 

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Keep your butter’s potency in mind as you choose a recipe to ensure you deliver the kind of experience you’re looking for. Below are some edible options that pack on the butter to help you get started. Beginners and culinary connoisseurs alike will have a blast making and enjoying these bites! Check out our full guide on making edibles for more inspiration.

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• Baked Goods: Cakes, pies, cookies, and pastries are great choices for edibles since they typically call for large amounts of butter. We love this simple recipe for cannabis-infused chocolate chip cookies. Bonus points if you incorporate extras – like buttercream or THC-infused fillings – into your recipe!
• Candy: You might not think to make candy on your own, but you can easily make THC-infused chocolates with some cannabutter. Melt chocolate or candy bases of your choice with some butter and add it to fun molds for an easy homemade treat. You can even freeze your mixture using popsicle molds!
• Sauces, Stews, & Soups: Homemade sauces, bisques, etc., that rely on butter for creaminess lend themselves well to cannabutter. Elevate your dishes to the next level!

Don’t be afraid to get creative. Especially if you made strong cannabutter, even adding a few tablespoons to your meal as you cook can be enough to make a difference.

Final Thoughts

Good luck whipping up your next batch of cannabutter! You can always count on us here at The Green Dragon CBD for quality THC products that will make creating your THC butter a breeze. Shop our extensive collection to find flower and other products that fit your needs, or feel free to contact us for a consultation. We’re here to help you discover fun new ways to use cannabis safely!