Are you ready to make cannabutter but are questioning what the right type to start with is? If you’re looking for the best butter guide, look no further! Here, I will help you determine which type of butter is best for making a delicious batch of cannabutter at home.
Table of Contents
Article Features
- Why ghee is better than regular butter
- What butter options you should avoid at all costs
- Want to skip the work? Enjoy the convenience and exceptional flavor of my Bliss Cannabutter – no fuss, no mess, just top-quality cannabutter delivered straight to your door. Now shipping across the United States!
Why You Will Love This Guide
If you are new to cooking with cannabis, I understand that the idea of making edibles for the first time can seem intimidating.
Knowing which type of butter and which type of cannabis to start with can seem overwhelming.
Recently, a member of my Well With Cannabis Community wrote, “I know all you need is some butter and buds, but which kind of butter should you use?”
And it’s a great question because the butter you use can greatly impact your final product.
In this guide, I’ll teach you everything you need to know about choosing the right ingredients to make the best cannabutter recipe from the comfort of your own home.
Overview of Butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of milk or cream.
Most kinds of butter are made with cow’s milk, but other varieties may be created with the milk of goats, sheep, water buffalo, and yaks.
There are several different types of butter available on the market today. These include:
- Salted or unsalted butter
- Clarified butter – known as ghee
- Cultured butter – made with bacteria-cultured cream
- Compound butter – butter that has been mixed with herbs or spices
- Sweet cream butter – made from pasteurized cream without a starter culture
- Light or whipped butter – aerated with air or nitrogen to double its volume
- Flavored butter – addition of herbs like garlic and herbs de Provence
- European-style or “European-style” butter – higher in fat than standard American butter
Butter is the perfect medium for making cannabutter because of its high-fat content.
Cannabinoids like THC and CBD are lipophilic, meaning they love fat.
These cannabinoids stick to the fat molecules, resulting in an infused butter that can be used for marijuana edibles and more.
The Best Butter for Cannabutter
The best butter for infused butter will depend on your desired outcome. There is no exact science or one right way to do something.
One option is not any better than the other; it just comes down to personal preference.
The best way to make weed butter is the way that makes you the best about your final product.
Clarified Butter or Ghee
Clarified butter, also known as ghee, is a form of pure butterfat that has been heated and had the milk solids and water removed from it.
Ghee has many benefits, both for cooking, for health, and for making cannabutter.
When butter is clarified, the milk solids are removed along with any water content, leaving behind a type of purer fat and more concentrated than regular melted butter.
This saves you an extra step at the end of the cannabis infusion process because you won’t have to let the butter harden and then separate and discard the excess water.
This benefit makes ghee or clarified butter the ideal butter for making your own cannabis butter.
Salted Butter or Unsalted Butter
Salted butter is a dairy product made from churning cream mixed with salt.
It has been around for centuries and is widely used in all types of cooking.
Unlike salted butter, unsalted butter does not contain any added salt or flavorings, making it the perfect choice for those who are looking to keep their food as natural as possible.
Both salted and unsalted butter are great options to make cannabutter but know that you will have some separation at the end of the process, which will need to be addressed.
One of the most popular brands of solid butter is Kerry Gold butter because it has a higher fat concentration than traditional butter found at the grocery store.
What Not To Use
For various reasons, many types of butter are not a good choice for making butter.
Some of these options to avoid include:
- Margarine
- Plant-based butter
- Whipped or spreadable butter
In most cases, these products separate and create a soupy and messy butter.
Notes & Expert Tips
- If this is your first time, know that it is OK to make a small batch to test your method first.
- For a better-tasting cannabutter, skip the hand grinder. Grinding releases more chlorophyll from the plant matter, making a cannabutter that is more green looking and tasting.
- Many cannabis products can be used to make cannabutter, from the cannabis flower, sugar leaves, fan leaves, concentrates like FECO, and more.
- To make a more potent cannabutter, use kief or concentrates.
- Don’t forget; you can save the leftover plant material for other recipes. It’s perfect for savory recipes like pesto.
- If you are new to cannabis edibles, be sure to check out my safe dosing guide before getting started. Finding the perfect dose is key to comfort and happiness.
- Pro tip: Need to make a big batch? The LEVO C is perfect for making large batches.
- Do not add lecithin to your cannabutter; this will bind the excess water and create a soupy mess in the end.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can purchase my Bliss Cannabutter and have it delivered directly to your door! This amazing-tasting, perfectly dosed product contains 12.5mg of THC per teaspoon, providing you the peace of mind of knowing you are working with lab-tested cannabis products. Available to recreational or medical marijuana patients, we can ship this cannabutter to all 50 states.
This will depend on how potent you want your cannabis-infused butter to use. Check out this flower-to-oil ratio guide for reference. Remember, how much butter you use will affect the potency, too. If you use a cup of butter, your final infusion will be twice as potent then if you used two cups of butter.
You will want a baking sheet or mason jar for the decarbing process. You will want a mason jar and a medium saucepan or other option to facilitate the cooking process and hold the hot water. A double layer of cheesecloth, coffee filter, or french press is helpful for the straining process.
Yes, if you want to experience the psychoactive effects of THC. Raw cannabis contains cannabinoid acids, like THCA, which are non-intoxicating. To activate the THC we want, you must bake the marijuana flower. This will result in decarboxylated cannabis that will be more likely to provide the experience you are looking for.
If you are going to use the cannabutter in less than a week, room temperature in an airtight container is OK. For longer-term storage, check out this guide for refrigerating and freezing cannabutter. Freezing will extend the shelf life and help retain maximum potency.
Yes, simply swap coconut oil for the butter. You could even use olive oil, MCT oil, and vegetable oil to make cannabis oil.
Yes, if you’ve already made cannabutter but are unhappy with the potency, you can follow this guide to fix weak cannabutter.
Cannabutter Recipes
There are many different ways to make marijuana butter, outlined below. The first step is to follow the decarboxylation process in an oven or Instant pot.
From there, you can create a low-heat water bath for your infusion. A low temperature of 160°F-200°F is ideal.
Decide how much cannabis and how much butter you want to use with the help of this flower-to-oil ratio guide.
If you want to guestimate the mg of THC in your finished product, be sure to input the numbers into this edible dosage calculator here.
Here are the many different cannabutter recipes to try:
Recipes to Make with Cannabutter
Are you ready to finally put your cannabutter to good use? You really can substitute regular butter with cannabutter in any recipe.
Whether it’s your favorite peanut butter cookies or a simple brownie mix, the options are endless.
Just keep in mind the typical 350°F temperature called for during baking is not too much heat; it’s perfectly OK to bake cookies at these temps without sacrificing potency.
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Can you use cocoa butter as a substitute?
Hi Kenny. Yes, you can infuse cocoa butter with cannabis the same as you would regular butter.
Hi, there. The recipe appears to call for a half-ounce of flower, buds, trim, or kief and 2 sticks of unsalted butter. The amount of flower or other options is listed as “1/2 ounces,” so I’m writing to find out whether a half-ounce is correct, or if more is needed.
Thanks!
Also, if I use all trim, should a greater weight of trim be used than if I used all flower?
Hi Tom. I can see how the “1/2 ounce” notation might be a bit confusing, but you’ve interpreted it correctly. The recipe indeed calls for a half-ounce (1/2 oz) of flower, buds, trim, or kief, but there is flexibility depending on how strong you want your cannabutter. If you are using trim, you may want to use a bit more since time generally has fewer cannabinoids than the flower, which means they are less potent. On the other hand, if you are using kief, a 1/2 ounce may be a bit too much. Here is a ratio guide for flower that may help: Cannabis Flower-to-Oil Ratio Guide & Printable Chart Everyone’s tolerance and desired effects can vary, so feel free to adjust the quantities to suit your preferences. Cooking with cannabis is an art, and it’s all about finding what works best for you.
I’ve smoked cannabis for a long time and am wanting to make cannabutter but I’m having such a hard time understanding the do’s and dont’s as well as just the entire process, do you have any videos for how to make cannabutter with salted butter (I got salted because I plan to use it in more savoury dishes and not in dessert type dishes
Ashely, it’s great to hear that you’re ready to try making your own cannabutter! The process can seem a bit daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not too complicated. To answer your question, you can certainly use salted butter if you’re planning to use your cannabutter in savory dishes. The salt won’t interfere with the infusion process. As for video tutorials, check out my How to Make Cannabutter Step-by-Step Photos & Video here. Remember, the key to making great cannabutter is patience and attention to detail. Take your time, follow the steps carefully, and you’ll end up with a wonderful ingredient for your culinary adventures! 😊
I’m sorry to comment again but I’m still confused and also probably just scared to mess this up as it will be my first time, but I only have an instant pot and I don’t really have any mason jars nor can I afford to buy them, I’m extremely low income, I get my cannabis for free but everything else I still have to pay for so mason jars aren’t really in the budget, I’m stuck with canned food and such. Is there anyway to do this with extremely limited resources? If you would be ok with it you can contact me at an email I’ve set up temporarily for this so I can maybe get some more guidance from you and I would truly appreciate it in the event the email isn’t shown to you I will leave it in the comments as it is just a temporary email and I can delete it at anytime avictoriat420@gmail.com
No need to apologize for reaching out again! I’m here to help and I appreciate your questions. 😊 I understand that you’re working with limited resources. Don’t worry, we can definitely find a solution that fits your needs. You can use any heat-proof glass container in place of mason jars. Even a glass bowl or a Pyrex dish would work. If you don’t have a top, you can cover with foil. As for the instant pot, it works perfectly fine too! The main goal is to apply heat, and an instant pot can do just that. Here is a guide for using the IP, just find a safe substation for the jars. I hope this helps 💚
Thank you so much for all this information .You know I be trying to find out the best and eaese way too make it .I want to think you so much for sharing this with me .Thank you .Mike
You’re very welcome, Mike! We’re glad you found the information helpful. Finding the easiest and most effective way is always a journey worth taking. If you have any more questions or need further insights, feel free to reach out. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!