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    Home » Cannabis Drink Recipes

    Easy Infused Cannabis Milk or Cream

    Published: May 21, 2021 · Modified: Nov 29, 2022 · Written by Emily Kyle · This post may contain affiliate links, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    4.8 from 12 votes
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    A white countertop with a glass of cannabis infused milk

    This beginner-friendly guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of making cannabis milk or cream, complete with dosing recommendations, dairy-free alternatives, and delicious recipes to use your new creamy infusion in.

    How to Make Cannabis Milk or Cream
    Table of Contents Expand
    1. Features
    2. Why You Will Love This Recipe
    3. Stock Your Canna Kitchen
    4. Ingredient Notes
    5. The Step-by-Step Process
    6. Helpful Kitchen Tools
    7. Milk or Cream?
    8. Start With Decarbed Cannabis
    9. How to Heat Milk Without Curdling
    10. How Much Cannabis Should I Use in This Recipe?
    11. How to Strain The Milk
    12. Frequently Asked Questions
    13. Recipes To Make With Cannamilk

    Features

    • An easy step-by-step guide
    • Options for infusing milk or cream
    • Tips and tricks so you get it right the first time
    • Vegan, vegetarian, plant-based alternative available

    Why You Will Love This Recipe

    I've had many members in my Well With Cannabis Community ask about infusing milk or cream.

    After trying it myself, I am pleasantly surprised at how awesome and versatile this recipe is.

    It can definitely be added to your repertoire as a staple recipe used as the base to make many other infused creations like ice cream, coffee creamer, and more.

    With simple instructions, this guide also includes helpful tips and tricks to help you make the best cannamilk possible, along with some delicious recipes to use it in.


    Stock Your Canna Kitchen

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    Skip the hard work and have perfectly dosed, delicious, pure Bliss Cannabutter delivered directly to your door! Shop Now →


    Ingredient Notes

    A white countertop with a metal pan filled with milk and cannabis, labeled
    • Milk or Cream: Remember, the higher the fat content, the better. Full-fat milk or heavy cream is best. Do not try to infuse fat-free milk. For a vegan alternative, full-fat coconut milk works.
    • Cannabis Flowers - You will need your desired amount of cannabis flowers, ranging from 3.5 grams up to 1 ounce. Choose THC, CBD, or CBG dominant flowers. You can purchase them from my online shop here.

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

    The Step-by-Step Process

    A four step image collage showing how to make cannabis infused milk
    • Step 1: Choose how strong you want your cannabis milk based on the recommendations below. Combine the decarbed cannabis and milk or cream in a saucepan. Place over low heat.
    • Step 2: Heat to 165°F, very slowly over time. Simmer for 30 minutes.
    • Step 3: Strain the infused milk through a coffee filter or other strainer.
    • Step 4: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

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

    Helpful Kitchen Tools

    • Digital Thermometer
    • 2-Quart Saucepan
    • Silicone Spatula
    • Mason Jars
    • Small Funnel
    • Coffee Filters
    How to Make Cannabis Milk or Cream

    Milk or Cream?

    This process for infusion will work for both full-fat milk and cream.

    It is up to you to determine what one you want to use based on your final desired use or use in a recipe.

    If you're planning on making drinks like my cozy cannabis chai latte or cannabis pumpkin spice latte, simple full-fat milk will do.

    If you plan on infusing richer recipes, like coffee creamer or ice cream, a cream option like heavy cream will be better.

    Both of these options will require you to think about how strong you want your final dosage, as this will impact how much cannabis flower you add to the recipe.

    We will discuss how much cannabis you should use in the section below.

    How to Make Cannabis Milk or Cream Emily Kyle

    DO NOT USE FAT-FREE MILK

    I recommend full-fat milk or heavy cream for this recipe. I do not recommend using fat-free milk, or other fat-free plant-based milk like almond milk.

    Cannabinoids like THC and CBD are lipophilic, meaning they attract fat molecules. They are not water-soluble, which means they will not dissolve in water alone. 

    According to scientific studies, when paired with a fat source, the absorption of cannabinoids is enhanced: THC and CBD by 2.5-fold and 3-fold, respectively, compared to fat-free formulations (1).

    This means that using full-fat milk will make this recipe up to 2.5-3 times more potent than choosing a fat-free milk alternative.

    For those looking for the intoxicating benefits of THC, the more fat in the milk or cream, the better.

    Coconut Milk For A Dairy-Free Alternative

    If traditional dairy products like milk and cream aren't for you, my recommended alternative would be full-fat coconut milk.

    Full-fat coconut milk contains a lot of the type of fat we want to bond to our cannabinoids.

    I do not recommend using any other dairy-free milk alternative such as almond milk or soy milk because they do not contain enough fat, or may contain other unwanted ingredients.

    Start With Decarbed Cannabis

    If you're a seasoned cannabis consumer, you may already know this, but you're going to want to start with decarbed cannabis for this recipe.

    Without decarboxylation, you will not experience the full range of activated cannabinoids such as THC or CBD.

    If you've never gone through the process before, have no fear, decarbing really is simple.

    Bake the dried cannabis in the oven at 240° F for 40 minutes for a THC-dominant flower and 240° F for 90 minutes for a CBD-dominant flower.

    If you have never decarbed before, you can get started with my beginner's guide to cannabis decarboxylation here.

    Decarboxylation

    Should You Grind First?

    I do not recommend grinding the decarbed cannabis before adding it to the milk to infuse for a few reasons.

    The first reason is that when you grind the cannabis in a grinder, you will be leaving behind many of the trichomes (the part that contains the CBD or THC) in the grinder itself, thus limiting your potency.

    The second reason is that grinding breaks down the plant matter into smaller pieces.

    This is not desirable as it allows for more chlorophyll, or green plant matter and taste, to seep into your infusion.

    For the best, most mild-tasting cannabis milk, do not grind the flower before adding to the saucepan.

    Instead of grinding, gently break up to buds with your hands into small, popcorn-sized pieces, and use those to simmer with the milk or cream.

    How to Make Cannabis Milk or Cream Emily Kyle

    How to Heat Milk Without Curdling

    Milk and cream are made of three things: butterfat, proteins, and water.

    When milk is boiled or reaches past 212°F, the three components of the emulsion break apart in a very unappetizing way.

    The milk proteins coagulate and separate from the water, producing what is commonly known as curdled milk.

    We want to avoid curdled milk at all costs when making our homemade cannabis milk.

    The best way to prevent milk from curdling is to use a digital instant-read thermometer to ensure your milk temperature never gets to 212°F.

    It's important to note that milk can also curdle if it reaches too high of a temperature too quickly, even if it doesn't reach 212°F.

    That is why it is very important to follow the directions below to heat the milk up slowly over time.

    Excessive heat or heating too fast can also result in a scorched flavor or a film of protein on the top of the milk. Your patience will be rewarded here.

    Cream Won't Curdle Like Milk

    Because cream, like heavy cream, has a higher fat content than milk, it is not as likely to curdle.

    This means you have a little bit more wiggle room in your cooking technique, but we will still recommend keeping the same temperature restrictions.

    What About Scalded Milk

    Scalding milk is a bit different than curdling milk. Milk scalds at 170°F.

    At this temperature, bacteria are killed, enzymes in the milk are destroyed, and many of the proteins are denatured.

    Older recipes used to call for purposely scalded milk to kill bacteria and an enzyme that prevented thickening in recipes.

    Today, most milk is pasteurized, so the bacteria and enzymes are already gone. 

    While this won't alter the consistency of the milk, we will still be keeping our cooking temperature below 170°F to prevent both scalding and curdling.

    Cannabis Milk or Cream

    How Much Cannabis Should I Use in This Recipe?

    Perhaps the most important part of making this recipe is understanding how to dose it properly.

    While I typically recommend consumers choose how much cannabis to use based on their own personal tolerances, it's important to note that with this recipe, less is more.

    If you plan to drink a full cup of cannabis milk, you're going to be consuming a large volume of 8 fluid ounces.

    In contrast, if you plan to drink a teaspoon in your morning coffee, you're only consuming a very tiny amount.

    First, decide how you intend to consume this cannabis milk, and then follow the dosing recommendations below.

    For Those Who Plan To Drink a Full Cup in One Serving

    Emily - why are you starting with such a small amount of cannabis in this recipe at 0.5 grams?

    Many of my Well With Cannabis Community members are used to making heavy, more potent batches of oil and butter with up to an ounce (28 grams) of cannabis flower.

    This makes a strong butter or oil, but typically you're only using, on average, a teaspoon at a time.

    If you plan on drinking one full cup of this milk, the volume used is going to be very different than oil.

    For reference, there are 48 teaspoons in one cup.

    To prevent consuming too much CBD or THC in one sitting, you're going to want to microdose the amount of cannabis used in the recipe.

    So, for example, if you used the 0.5 grams as called for in this recipe, and if it were an average of 20% THC, you would get 25mg per cup of milk.

    0.5 grams of 20% THC cannabis in 4 cups of milk = 100mg.

    This recipe serves 4, so divided by 4 cups of milk = 25mg per 1 cup serving.

    Please note, these numbers will vary based on the potency of your starting flower; 20% is just an average number used here for examples.

    You can use our edible dosage calculator here to get more precise numbers if you know the percent THC of your flower.

    For Those Who Plan To Use a Teaspoon As One Serving

    If you used the same ratio above but only used a single teaspoon of milk or cream in a cup of coffee or tea, you would only get 0.52mg THC per serving.

    For many people, that's not enough.

    To get closer to 10-15mg or even 25mg of THC per teaspoon, you're going to want to increase the amount of cannabis flower used, or decrease the amount of milk or cream used - or both.

    So, for example, if you used 10 grams of flower in this recipe, and if it were an average of 20% THC, you would get 10.42mg per teaspoon of milk.

    10 grams of 20% THC cannabis in 4 cups of milk = 2,000mg.

    This recipe serves 4, so divided by 4 cups of milk = 500mg per 1 cup serving (too much for some people!)

    500mg per 1 cup serving divided by 48 teaspoons in a cup = 10.42mg per teaspoon.

    Please note, these numbers will vary based on the potency of your starting flower; 20% is just an average number used here for examples.

    You can use our edible dosage calculator here to get more precise numbers if you know the percent THC of your flower.

    How to Determine The Dosing

    Want to get a more accurate guesstimate of the potency of your cannabis infusions and extractions? Try our popular edibles calculator!

    Not sure what your perfect dose is? Learn more here.

    How to Strain The Milk

    After the infusion process has taken place, the next step is to strain the plant matter from the milk itself.

    This process can be a bit tricky because of the hot nature of the milk.

    To strain, we simply poured the infused milk through a coffee filter nestled inside a small funnel over a mason jar.

    Depending on the size of your mason jar, you may need two to hold the entire 4 cups.

    Other helpful straining methods include using a French press to separate the plant matter from the milk.

    Straining Cannabis Milk or Cream

    Save The Leftover Pulp

    I do think the pulp would be worth saving in this recipe because of the shorter cook time.

    Shorter infusion times mean more opportunity for cannabinoids to remain bonded to the leftover plant material.

    You can check out this list of 15 ways to repurpose your leftover cannabis pulp for some great ideas on how to use it up.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Should I grind the cannabis first?

    No, I do not recommend grinding first. I recommend breaking the flower into small, popcorn-sized pieces for infusion. More details are provided above.

    Can I use fat-free milk?

    No, it is not recommended to use fat-free milk, whether it be dairy-based or plant-based, like almond milk.

    Can I warm the milk in the microwave?

    No, I do not recommend using a microwave for this process as the temperatures fluctuate too much and may either curdle your milk or harm your potency.

    How to store infused milk or cream

    Once prepared, you can use your warm milk or cream right away. If you want to wait, it is recommended to store your freshly infused milk or cream in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. When reheating, be careful again not to reheat it too fast or too high of a temperature. Do not use a microwave to reheat your cannabis milk or cream, as the unstable temperatures could harm the potency of your infusion.

    How long will cannamilk last?

    Base your storage time in the refrigerator based on the original expiration date of the milk or cream you used.

    Recipes To Make With Cannamilk

    • How to Make a Cannabis Smoothie + 7 Recipes
    • 9 Ways To Make Cannabis Coffee At Home
    • 9 Ways To Make Cannabis Tea
    • Creamy Cannabis Vanilla Ice Cream

    Want To Make This Easier? Use A Machine!

    If the process of decarbing and infusing feels like too much work, an all-in-one countertop device may be a perfect all-in-one solution.

    My personal favorites? The LEVO and Ardent FX, but you can review the most popular infusion machines here.

    Want A Discount Code?

    • Use the code EMILY30 for $30 off your Ardent order!
    • Use the code EMILYKYLE for 10% off your LEVO order!
    Cannabis Milk or Cream
    Edibles made easy course mockup

    My Edibles Made Easy Online Cooking Course will teach you how to easily make cannabis edibles and topical recipes at home. This step-by-step video course will teach you how to infuse, extract, and create edibles with many different product types - all from the comfort of your own home.

    Learn more and enroll today →

    A white countertop with a glass of cannabis infused milk

    Easy Homemade Cannabis Milk or Cream

    Author: Emily Kyle, MS, RDN, HCP
    4.84 from 12 votes
    This beginner-friendly guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of making cannabis milk or cream, complete with dosing recommendations, dairy-free alternatives, and delicious recipes to use your new creamy infusion in.
    Print Now Pin for Later
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
    CourseDrinks
    CuisineCannabis Recipe
    Servings 4 cups
    Calories 145 kcal

    Equipment

    • Digital Thermometer

    Ingredients
      

    • ½-10 grams decarbed cannabis flower *see dosing guidelines below
    • 4 cups full-fat milk or heavy cream

    Instructions

    • Combine the cannabis flower and milk in a 2-quart saucepan. Place the saucepan over low heat.
    • Gently bring the mixture to 165° F. This process should be done slowly and typically takes 30 minutes.
    • Once the mixture reaches 165° F, maintain the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.
    • After 30 minutes, strain the cannabis oil through a paper filter and funnel, cheesecloth, or French press to separate the plant matter from the milk.
    • If desired, you can save the leftover cannabis pulp for use in future recipes. 
    • Return the prepared cannabis milk to an airtight container, like a mason jar, and store it in the refrigerator.
    • Base your storage time in the refrigerator based on the original expiration date of the milk you used.

    Notes

    Helpful Tips & Tricks
    • Ensure you heat the milk up slowly to prevent scalding
    • If your stove runs too hot, use a stovetop diffuser
    • To make CBD cannabis milk, simply swap CBD dominant cannabis flower for the THC dominant cannabis flower
    • To make dairy-free cannabis-infused milk, simply swap the traditional dairy-based full-fat milk for full-fat coconut milk
    Dosing For Consuming One Cup Servings:
    • 0.5 grams of 20% THC cannabis in 4 cups of milk = 25mg per 1 cup serving
    Dosing For Consuming One Teaspoon Servings:
    • 10 grams of 20% THC cannabis in 4 cups of milk = 500mg per 1 cup serving / 48 teaspoons in one cup = 10.42mg per 1 teaspoon serving

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 312mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 383IU | Calcium: 267mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe or have a question?Join hundreds of members inside private Well With Cannabis Community for help, support, and to share your edible creations!

    More Cannabis Drink Recipes

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Heather

      June 20, 2022 at 6:33 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Emily!

      Thanks so much for this recipe! I’m curious, do you think it would work in an egg yolk based ice cream?

      Thanks again!!

    2. Emily Kyle

      June 21, 2022 at 4:42 pm

      Heather, I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why not ☺️ Please feel free to update us if you try it and are successful!

    3. Fabi

      September 24, 2022 at 5:23 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for the recipe! Would you recommend infusing milk in an instant pot?

    4. Emily Kyle

      September 24, 2022 at 5:44 pm

      Hey Fabi, I haven't personally tried it myself, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. If you try it, let us know how it turns out for you 😀

    5. Maggie

      October 13, 2022 at 11:51 am

      5 stars
      Oh, my goodness I infused 42 grams of bud with 3 cups of coconut oil the other day and this morning I used half of the raffinate to infuse 2 cups of 18% coffee cream and it is excellent.

    6. Emily Kyle

      October 13, 2022 at 11:56 am

      I am so glad to hear this, Maggie! Thanks for sharing your experience with us 😀

    7. Debbie

      January 20, 2023 at 3:20 pm

      5 stars
      Hi, loving your site here from the UK, I would also love to buy your products by our laws prevent me, but luckily for me I found your site so I can make my own.
      My question is, I eat Keto fatbombs, so need to whisk the cream, am I able to still whisk the cream after being it being heated & cooled? I don’t know if I can once it’s been heated.

    8. Renée from Team EKN

      January 21, 2023 at 10:39 am

      Hi Debbie! You'll want to make sure your cream is completely chilled before whisking. It's helpful if you chill the bowl and beaters as well. A glass bowl or stainless steel bowl is ideal because it retains the cold as you whisk. I hope this helps!

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