How to Make the Best Edibles and Weed Butter at Home

When making cannabis edibles, decarboxylation is essential for activating the all-important CBD and THC components of the cannabis flower. Technically, cannabis contains CBD-A and THC-A, which are the acidic precursors to CBD and THC. For the acidic molecules to drop off, cannabis must be heated, vaporized or burned— a process known as “decarboxylation.” This process activates the CBD and THC molecules so they can properly influence our neurotransmitters. 

The amount of THCA does not convert to an equivalent amount of THC after decarboxylation— the conversion rate is around 0.88 per cent. To extract the cannabinoids, it’s important to cook decarboxylated cannabis into some kind of fat, because the chemical compounds are fat-soluble. But different types of oils are more or less efficient at this— coconut oil is considered one of the most efficient extractors.

What is Decarboxylation?

The most common method of decarboxylation is by heating the cannabis slowly, at a low temperature in an oven, but this can be tricky because ovens have varying temperatures. Here is a recipe for a simple cannabis infused coconut oil, and I also love these cannabis oil infused vegan recipes.

If you want to try making your own edibles or weed butter at home, remember these important guidelines for creating the most delicious, potent edibles you can make.

1 —

Cooking with Cannabis Instructions

• I suggest keeping the oven around 225 degrees Fahrenheit, and leaving it to bake for 45 to 60 minutes.

• If you heat cannabis beyond 300 degrees Fahrenheit, you risk losing a lot of terpenes.

• For dryer flower, 40 minutes is usually enough, and for sticker, more resinous cannabis, 60 minutes should be good.

• Once you’ve decarboxylated your cannabis, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

2 —

How to Make the Best Weed Butter and Edibles

• During the decarboxylation stage of making edibles, remember to turn the cannabis flower every 10 minutes or so while it is in the oven so it gets evenly toasted.

• To prevent the cannabis from burning, make sure to grind up the buds into pieces about the size of a grain of rice.

• Also, before spreading it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, you want to crumple up the parchment a little bit and spread the cannabis on the sheet. This prevents the ground up flower from contacting the metal surface and burning.

3 —

How to Cook with Cannabis

• It can be stored in an airtight glass jar for up to a year, as long as kept away from direct sunlight and humidity.

• Make your own cannabis oil at home by infusing decarboxylated cannabis into a highly extractive oil like coconut oil that can be cooked or baked into virtually any recipe.

• Its best to use a deodorized coconut oil so you can add it to your usual recipes as well as baking recipes.

• Here is a recipe for a simple cannabis infused coconut oil. I also love these cannabis oil infused vegan recipes.

4 —

Consuming Cannabis Edibles

• As with with any edible, be careful when consuming. Start with a low dose and go slow, maybe ¼ teaspoon, and waiting an hour to see how you feel.

• Use whatever flower you prefer, but I like using Indica strains of cannabis to make my edibles for more of a body buzz.