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
I am so excited to finally bring to you this guide on how to make cannabis milk or cream.
I've had many members in my Well With Cannabis Facebook 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 cannabis 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.
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Before Consuming Edibles
If you have never consumed cannabis edibles before, there are some important things I want you to know first.
Because it’s true, edibles can totally mess you up if you’re not prepared, so I want you to remember:
Edibles Can Be Very Potent
If you never had cannabis edibles before, it is important to note that they will likely affect you differently than either inhalation or sublingual applications.
Edibles become more potent when our liver enzymes hydroxylate THC to form 11-OH-THC.
11-OH-THC is a potent psychoactive metabolite that readily crosses the blood-brain barrier and causes unwanted side effects like hallucinations.
To avoid this, it is important to know your own personal tolerance and respect it.
Edibles Have a Delayed Onset
Another reason edibles can take you by surprise is because the effects have a delayed onset.
Edibles take anywhere between 30-minutes to several hours to kick in.
On top of that, edibles can have a prolonged duration of effects, lasting upwards of 6-12 hours or more.
Because of this, it's important you don’t reach for that second helping so quickly.
Of course, your experience will be entirely dependent on you you your own unique endocannabinoid system.
As with all things cannabis, it is important to start low and go slow, when trying a new recipe.
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.
Decarboxylation must occur before preparing the recipe for you to experience the benefits of activated THC or CBD.
Raw cannabis flower buds contain nutrients and other amazing compounds in their fresh state, like CBDA, THCA, and terpenes.
However, raw cannabis plants do not naturally contain large amounts of active THC or CBD, the two most popular cannabinoids.
To experience the benefits of activated THC or CBD, the cannabis must first undergo a process called decarboxylation.
Without decarboxylation, you will not experience the full range of activated cannabinoids such as THC or CBD.
In your own kitchen you can use an oven to provide the heat needed to decarb the cannabis.
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 beginners guide to cannabis decarboxylation here.
Should You Grind the Decarbed Cannabis?
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 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 appetizing 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 a likely to curdle.
This means you have a little bit more wiggle room in your cooking technique, but we will still recommend to keep 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 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 enzyme 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.
Should I Use 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 used 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.
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 milks 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 altrenative.
For those looking for the intoxicating benefits of THC, the more fat in the milk or cream, the better.
Coconut Milk As A Dairy-Free Milk 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.
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 intent 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 Facebook 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 For Your Recipe
Want to calculate the dosage of your cannabis edibles and homemade cannabis recipes?
While a calculator is no replacement for lab testing, this tool has been designed to help you get a more accurate guesstimate of the potency of your cannabis infusions and extractions.
Unlike other calculators available online, this calculator aims to provide more accuracy by accounting for the losses associated with decarboxylation, infusion oils, or extraction solvents used.
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.
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.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
No, I do not recommend grinding first. I recommend to break the flower into small, popcorn sized pieces for infusion. More details are provided above.
No, it is not recommended to use fat-free milk, whether it be dairy based or plant-based, like almond milk.
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.
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.
Base your storage time in the refrigerator based on the original expiration date of the milk or cream you used.
What To Make With Cannabis Milk or Cream
Once your cannabis milk or cream is prepared, you can use it in a variety of ways.
You can enjoy the milk or cream as is, in a glass warm or cold, or you can add it to your favorite recipes.
Some of the most popular recipes to make with cannabis milk or cream include:
You could also take it one step further and use the cannabis milk or cream to make homemade cannabis yogurt or cannabis ice cream.
Use An Infusion Machine For Your Edibles
If the process of decarboxylating and infusing your cannabis edibles seems like too much work, a cannabis infusion machine is a perfect solution for you!
Cannabis-infusion machines are countertop devices that do all the work for you by decarboxylating and infusing your butters, oils, and more.
The most popular machines on the market today include LEVO Infusion Machines and Ardent Cannabis Infusion Machines.
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Easy Homemade Cannabis Milk or Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½-10 grams decarboxylated 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
- 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
- 0.5 grams of 20% THC cannabis in 4 cups of milk = 25mg per 1 cup serving
- 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