Easy Cannabis Coconut Oil Recipe

Are you ready to make one of the most versatile staple recipes to stock your cannabis kitchen? This easy, step-by-step beginner’s guide will teach you how to make cannabis coconut oil at home in a crockpot, Instant pot, or stove. It is perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to make a cannabis-infused oil that is vegan, dairy-free, and versatile enough to be used as a base for recipes and self-care products.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Hello and welcome, fellow cannabis connoisseur – I hope you are as excited as I am to make this incredible staple recipe today.

I surveyed members of my Well With Cannabis Community, and this recipe was #2 in the most popular infusion category, next only to cannabutter.

It’s no wonder everyone loves cannabis coconut oil; it is versatile and perfect to use in both edible and topical recipes.

It’s plant-based and works with nearly every diet.

What You’ll Need

Note: Determine how much to use for each ingredient below with this flower-to-oil ratio guide.

• Coconut Oil – Further explained below, you can choose between refined and unrefined coconut oil.
• Cannabis flower – Your desired amount of cannabis flower, ranging from 3.5 grams up to 1 ounce. Choose THC flower, CBD flower, or CBG flower. You can purchase flowers from my online shop.
• Lecithin – This optional ingredient is a natural emulsifier that may help improve bioavailability. Learn more about adding lecithin to edibles here. You can purchase liquid or powdered lecithin online.

Note: A complete list of ingredients with amounts and instructions is located in the printable recipe card below.

• Step 5 – Whether it be a paper filter and funnel, cheesecloth, French press, or a simple coffee filter, you will want to set up a straining station to separate the plant matter from the oil.
• Step 6 – Strain the prepared oil. You can save the leftover cannabis pulp for use in future recipes.
• Step 7 – Return the prepared oil to whatever jar you would like to store it in; a mason jar works well.
• Step 8 – Store the prepared cannabis coconut oil in a cool, dry place.

Note: Complete step-by-step printable instructions are located in the recipe card below.

Storage Instructions

Store your prepared oil in a cool, dry place. It will last longer if stored in the refrigerator and even longer if stored in the freezer.

Keep the jar out of direct sunlight, and keep it in a cool, dark cupboard or even the refrigerator.

If you store coconut oil in the refrigerator, know that it will solidify into a solid mass. This is normal.

Why Coconut Oil Is Great For Infusions

I help educate my Cannabis Compass Online Course students about how they can learn to confidently use cannabis to improve their quality of life.

Many of my students follow a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, which is why I wanted a cannabis-infused butter alternative that was dairy-free.

Coconut oil is the perfect substitute for butter when in need of dairy-free or vegan cannabutter.

The coconut oil performs similarly to the butter in extracting the cannabinoids from the plant matter, and it remains solid at room temperature like butter.

Coconut oil is naturally dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, and allergen-friendly, and this is the product I use and recommend when making our own at home.

This cannabis-infused coconut oil is a great option for anyone following a specialty diet or just looking for an alternative to traditional cannabutter.

Choose A Type of Coconut Oil

There are many different types of coconut oil on the market today, the three most common being unrefined coconut oil, refined coconut oil, and MCT oil.

It is ultimately your decision on which type of oil you want to infuse, but here are some important considerations when making your decision.

Virgin or Unrefined Coconut Oil

Virgin or unrefined coconut oil is about as close to the natural substance as you can get.

Unrefined coconut oil is made from the ‘meat’ of fresh coconuts and then cold-pressed, leaving just the oil which has a pure coconut flavor.

Unrefined coconut oil has a more natural, more prominent, topical coconut taste and smell.

Like refined coconut oil, unrefined coconut oil is 63% MCTs and 50% lauric acid, meaning it infuses the same.

If you choose to use unrefined coconut oil, this is the organic virgin unrefined coconut oil I recommend.

Refined Coconut Oil

Refined coconut oil is an oil made from dried coconuts that have been put through additional processing.

Some companies use harsh chemicals to bleach the coconut to remove the taste and flavor, while others use steam to refine the oil.

The biggest draw to refined coconut oil is that it has a very neutral taste and flavor, making it easier to work within certain recipes where the coconut taste is not wanted.

Many people prefer refined coconut oil because it has a less prominent coconut taste. Like unrefined coconut oil, refined coconut oil is 63% MCTs and 50% lauric acid, meaning it infuses the same.

If you choose refined coconut oil, you will always want to make sure you choose a sustainably farmed organic steam refined coconut oil like this one I recommend.

MCT Coconut Oil

MCT oil is a type of saturated fat extracted from coconuts that are rapidly digested and absorbed by the body.

Many people prefer liquid MCT oil for infusions because it is tasteless and remains liquid at room temperature.

The process for infusing MCT oil is the same as refined or unrefined coconut oil, although I do have a specific guide for making an MCT oil infusion here.

One important thing to note is that MCT oil in large amounts may cause digestive distress in some individuals.

If you choose to use type oil, this is the MCT oil product I recommend.

Don’t Forget To Decarb

Before getting started, it is important to note that consuming dried or raw cannabis flower buds will provide little to no intoxicating effect at all.

If you do not decarboxylate, you will reap the health benefits of CBDA or THCA, which are non-intoxicating.

However, most people want to feel the full effects of activated CBD or THC flower when making edibles.

For this recipe, I decarboxylated the cannabis flower in the oven before combining it with coconut oil and placing it into the crockpot. Therefore, we have a shorter cooking time, about four hours.

You can also decarb in an Instant Pot, if you have one.

If You Forget to Decarb

While I recommend going through the full decarb process for maximum benefits, truthfully, if you accidentally skip the decarboxylation process, we can fix it.

You will simply increase your infusion time which will help you achieve decarboxylation over time.

Additional Factors to Consider

If you asked 100 different Chefs, you would likely get 100 different variations on how to make your own cannabis-infused oil at home.

In addition to different techniques, many other factors can affect your results when cooking with cannabis.

Here are a few additional considerations to keep in mind.

Temperature Controls 

It is important to keep tight temperature controls when cooking with cannabis.

While heat is needed to decarboxylate the acids into the active form of cannabinoids our bodies can use, extreme temperatures can destroy many important plant materials that contribute to positive health outcomes, like terpenes.

Each terpene may have its own therapeutic health benefits, but it also carries its own sensitivity to heat.

If cannabis is heated above 300° Fahrenheit for a prolonged period of time, you run the risk of denaturing many important plant compounds.

For this reason, I recommend using an instant digital-read thermometer during your cooking process to ensure you never go above the safe temperature threshold.

You may also want to invest in a machine that can decarboxylate and infuse for you, like the Ardent or LEVO infusion machines.

The Strain of Cannabis Used

The strain of cannabis flower you are using will impact decarboxylation time and temperature recommendations.

Each cannabis strain contains varying amounts and ratios of different cannabinoids and terpenes.

Because each cannabinoid and terpene decarboxylates at a different temperature, you will want to consider the best temperature and cooking time for your particular strain. 

Additionally, the final potency and intoxicating effects will vary depending on whether it is a THC or CBD-dominant strain.

There are CBD dominant flower options and THC dominant cannabis flower options to choose from.

The Freshness of Product

You will have noticeable differences in the final product depending on the freshness of the material you start with.

Cannabis coconut oil can be made with raw cannabis leaf trimmings to make a CBDA or THCA dominant oil and it can also be made with traditionally dried and cured flower buds.

The concentration of cannabinoids will vary with the freshness of the starting material, the cannabinoid concentration of the material, which will ultimately impact your final product’s potency.

Equipment Variability

You can make cannabis coconut oil with various pieces of equipment like a crockpot or slow cooker or Instant Pot, but small variables in the cooking equipment may impact your final product.

Different crockpots will have different temperatures when setting to the same setting, which is why I recommend a digital thermometer be used throughout the cooking process. 

Frequently Asked Questions