Are you looking for a one-pot, set-it-and-forget-it option for making cannabutter or infused oil at home? Look no further than this easy, quick, and efficient infusion method using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker! The best part? It can totally reduce the smell, making at home infusions a breeze. Let me show how easy it is to do the entire process, step-by-step, with this helpful guide.
Table of Contents
Recipe Features
- The best method to decarb and infuse butter oil
- How this method can decrease the order associated with the infusion process
- Want to make it easy? Skip the process, buy my Bliss cannabutter instead, and have it shipped directly to your door!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
It’s no secret that I love using the crockpot for making cannabutter and other infusions, but it can be a lengthy process that leaves me in the kitchen for hours.
I’m constantly trying to make life easier for the cannabis enthusiasts inside my Well With Cannabis Community (any myself as a busy mom!).
So, when I learned you could kill two birds with one stone by using the Instant Pot to decarb and infuse, I created this easy step-by-step to help you learn this method, too.
Not only is this process so simple, but as an added BONUS, it can also significantly decrease the odor associated with the decarboxylation process.
Just place all of the ingredients in a jar in the Instant Pot, set the proper settings, walk away.
You can clean the house or make dinner while the cannabis is decarbing, without worrying about smelling up the entire house.
Once that is done, open up and add your oil of choice to the mason jar. Set the slow cooker option, and get back to work or even just relaxing.
📝 Ready to get started? Below you will find everything you need to know for how to make your own cannabis infusions the easy way with step-by-step instructions, delicious edible recipes to try, and fully-answered FAQs for best results.
Instant Pot Cannabutter or Oil Infusions
Ingredients
- 14 grams dried cannabis flower, buds, trim, or kief (½ ounce)
- 236 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks)
Instructions
- Place your desired amount of cannabis in a mason jar and add a lid to fingertip tightness (not too tight). You do not need to grind the cannabis, just break it up into small, popcorn-sized pieces.
- Place the jar on the trivet or in the steamer basket and place the trivet or basket in the Instant Pot.
- Add 4 cups of water to the Instant Pot. If you have a larger IP, you may need to add more water. Add enough water to cover the outside of the mason jars at least halfway.
- After your selected time, carefully release the pressure. Remove the jars from the pot and set them aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, add your desired amount of butter or oil to the jar.
- Add a lid and twist to fingertip tightness (not too tight). Place the jars back in the trivet or steamer basket and return them to the water bath. Select Slow Cook mode on LOW and set it for 4 hours.
- While the butter is infusing, prepare your straining area. 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 butter or oil.
- After 4 hours, remove the jars from the Instant Pot. Once cool enough to handle, strain the butter with your method of choice. You can save the leftover cannabis pulp for use in future recipes.
- Add the strained butter or oil to whatever jar you would like to store it in. If making infused oil, the process is over.
- If making butter, you will need to drain off the milk solids at the end of the process. Place the container in the refrigerator and allow it to cool completely. During refrigeration, the infused butter will harden and solidify. Remove the solid block of butter and drain the remaining liquid which is the unwanted, leftover water and milk solids.
- Store this in the refrigerator according to the expiration date on the butter you used, or store for even longer in the freezer.
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Nutrition
What You’ll Need
Cannabis of Choice
- Dried cannabis buds, trim, sugar leaves or kief: Use your desired amount of cannabis, ranging from 3.5 grams to 1 ounce. Check out the flower-to-oil ratio guide if you need help deciding how much to use. Next, select your preference for THC, CBD, or CBG dominant flowers. You can purchase from my online shop.
Depending on the flower you use, with this method, you can create:
- CBD cannabutter
- Kief cannabutter
- CBD oil
- CBG energy and focus oil
- CBN sleep oil
- AVB (already been vaped) oil
Butter or Oil
- Butter or ghee: Unsalted butter, clarified butter, and ghee all work great in this recipe. However, clarified butter and ghee are preferred by many because it eliminates a final step at the end. Regular butter will cause separation. Not sure how many sticks of butter to use? Start with this flower-to-oil ratio guide to help you predict the dose of your own cannabutter.
- Oil of choice: Coconut oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, MCT oil, hemp seed oil, and more
Depending on the oil you use, with this method, you can create:
Equipment
- Unsalted butter
- Instant Pot
- Trivet – or a canning rack that may fit
- Mason jars – ensure you are using a canning jar for this process
- Straining equipment – coffee filter or cheese cloth
- Silicone butter mold – optional
Note: a complete list of ingredients with amounts and printable instructions is located in the recipe card below.
The Step-by-Step Process
- Step 1 – Place your desired amount of cannabis in a mason jar and add a lid to fingertip tightness (not too tight). You do not need to grind the cannabis; break it into small, popcorn-sized pieces.
- Step 2 – Place the jar on the trivet or in the steamer basket.
- Step 3 – Place the trivet or basket in the Instant Pot.
- Step 4 – Add 4 cups of water to the Instant Pot. The size of your Instant Pot matters here. If you have a larger model, you will need to add more water. Add enough water to cover the outside of the mason jars at least halfway.
- Step 5 – Secure the lid.
- Step 6 – Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 40 minutes for THC-dominant flower, 60 minutes for CBG-dominant flower, 90 minutes for CBD-dominant flower, and 180 minutes for THC flower you want to degrade into CBN.
- Step 7 – After the desired time in minutes has passed, carefully release the pressure using the quick release function or natural release.
- Step 8 – Remove the jars from the pot with oven mitts or other protection and set them aside to cool. You now have decarboxylated cannabis.
- Step 9: Once cool enough to handle, take off the lid and add your desired amount of butter or oil to the jar.
- Step 10: Add a lid and twist to fingertip tightness (not too tight).
- Step 11: Place the jars back in the trivet or steamer basket and return them to the water bath.
- Step 12: Select Slow Cook – LOW mode and set it for 4 hours.
- Step 13: While the butter is infusing, prepare your straining area. 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.
- Step 14: After 4 hours, remove the jars from the Instant Pot. Once cool enough to handle, strain the butter with your method of choice. You can save the leftover cannabis pulp for use in future recipes.
- Step 15: Add the strained butter or oil to whatever jar you would like to store it in. If making butter, place the container in the refrigerator and allow it to cool completely. You will need to drain off the milk solids at the end of the process.
- Step 16: Enjoy your cannabis-infused butter!
Note: complete step-by-step printable instructions are located in the recipe card below.
Storage Instructions
Store the butter in an airtight container like a sealed mason jar in the refrigerator according to the expiration date on the butter you used.
It can be stored for a long time if you store it in the freezer.
Depending on how it was prepared, infused oil can be stored at room temperature for several months, but it should be kept in a cool, dark place.
If you are storing the butter in the fridge or freezer, never use the microwave to soften or thaw the butter, as it could destroy the cannabinoids and ruin the final product.
Learn how to store edibles here.
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Choose The Right Decarb Time
Each cannabinoid decarboxylates at a different temperature, so it’s essential to select the appropriate time based on the flower you have.
Use this guide to select the decarb time that is right for you.
Decarb Times
- THCA → Δ9-THC – bake at 240°F/116°C for 40 minutes
- CBDA → CBD – bake at 240°F/116°C for 90 minutes
- CBGA → CBG – bake at 220°F/105°C for 60 minutes
- Δ9-THC → CBN – bake at 240°F/116°C for 180 minutes
Notes and Expert Tips
- When making your own batch of Instant Pot Cannabutter, know that you will end up with less butter than you started with. This is normal because you will remove the milk solids and evaporate the excess water during the process.
- While the most common method is to use unsalted butter, using clarified butter or ghee eliminates the need to clarify your butter and strain milk solids.
- If you are doing an oil infusion, you can optionally add in lecithin. Do NOT add this if infusing butter.
- Know that using different strains can result in different experiences from each batch of cannabis infused-butter.
- One of the best ways to make a more potent cannabutter or oil by adding decarbed kief or cannabis concentrates like distillate or FECO.
- Just want to decarb but NOT infuse? Check out this simple guide for how to decarboxylate cannabis in an Instant Pot.
- One of the most beautiful things about this recipe is saving the leftover plant matter to make other cannabis edibles. One of the easiest ways is to throw it in your favorite sauce or salad dressings.
- If you use butter molds, I recommend using a spoon to get the pure, infused melted butter into the first full stick of the mold. You will only need to remove the milk solids from one stick.
- Ready to bake your favorite weed brownies and cookies? Have no fear; it is OK to bake your homemade cannabutter at higher temperatures.
- Looking for more recipes? Check out this cannabutter board, these 25 cannabutter recipes, or these tasty no-bake cannabutter recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
No worries, there’s nothing wrong with the old-fashioned way! A great alternative could include a crock pot, a stove top, or an infusion machine.
Yes, a true cannabis lover knows that if you want the activated benefits of cannabinoids like THC or CBD, you need to decarb first. This is because raw cannabis or fresh, raw weed contains cannabinoid acids like THCA or CBDA. The process ensures your end result, decarbed weed, contains the “good stuff” or THC and CBD you want. If you accidentally forget to decarb before adding in your cup of butter or oil, don’t worry, you didn’t just ruin those precious marijuana flower buds. Instead, you will just need a longer cooking time of 6-8 hours.
It depends on how potent you want your end product to be and how much cannabutter you want to add to a specific recipe. For a less potent product, add more butter. For a more potent product, add less. Remember, how much weed you use will have a big impact, too. Follow my cannabis flower-to-oil ratio chart to make a batch size perfect for you. If you’re using trim or kief, adjust accordingly. If you want a very potent product, make kief butter instead.
Using up your cannabutter is certainly the most exciting part of this recipe! From sweet to savory, check them out here or simply swap your cannabutter for regular butter in your favorite recipes.
No worries, if you’re unhappy with how your cannabutter turned out the first time, you can follow my guide to fix weak cannabutter. Keep in mind the color does not indicate potency.
Check out my beginner’s blog posts and join the Well With Cannabis Community. for additional support and resources.
Recipes to Use Up Your Cannabutter
Ready to make the most amazing infusions with the help of the Instant Pot cannabutter you just made! You’re in the right place for tasty, delicious recipes.
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Does the infused oil need to be stored in the refrigerator? Or does that only apply to butter?
Hey Travis! Butter is best in the refrigerator, but oil should be OK at room temperature for a few weeks. If you don’t think you will use it within 2-3 weeks, I would refrigerate or freeze the rest.
My slow cooker will not get to 180 degrees (85 C) will I cook for longer than for hours? My first time.
Glenda, if it’s anywhere in the range of 160°F and up, I would keep the cooking time the same.
Hello,
My instant pot does not have a “low” slow cook option, just “normal”. Should I cook for less than 4 hours?
Hey Sarah! I would keep it at 4 hours, it won’t hurt it 🙂
Hello! When I use the potency calculator, do I put in the amount of MCT oil before infusion (4 hour slow cook) or after? I used 1/2 cup MCT oil and after straining I only had 30 mL. Just trying to figure out the potency as it seems really concentrated! Thank you for all the helpful info by the way!
Hey Kendra! Great question, and thank you for the kind words 🙂 I would use the after amount (30mL) to calculate. If it seems too concentrated, you can add more MCT to the mix to dilute it.
Straining techniques could use some clarification, especially with coffee filter method, since that’s likely what most have available. I found that in order to express the butter/oil completely, and not break the coffee filter, I had to use 3-4 filter layers, and then about 1/4cup of the plant material or oil at a time, hold the coffee filters closed at the top with one hand, and express the liquid through the filters with the other, squeezing lightly at first and changing pressure applied as more liquid is removed, and the plant material needs squeezing to remove the remaining liquid. Then either reserve that plant material into another container and get new filters, or in my case, as I was using cbd trim, just dispose, and get new filters for more of the remaining unfiltered butter/oil, and repeat, until it was all filtered into a clean jar with lid with a good seal.
Note, if your product ends up bitter tasting and green, don’t toss it…add a little pink sea salt and a packet of Splenda – adjust for taste based on the volume of end product you have – the salt and touch of sweet counteracts the bitter from the chlorophyll from the plant.
Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Donna!
Is it 40 minutes after it gets to pressure? Or should I time from the moment the bell tolls signifying the IP is on?
Dude, I just go with 40 minutes from the time the IP is on and the jar is inside 🙂
Hi Emily! I accidentally skipped the straining step, and just put the jar straight into the fridge (making butter). Did I just ruin everything, or can I let the butter melt, strain, and put back in the fridge?
Oops,
Katie
Hey Katie – truly no worries at all, you did not ruin anything 🙂 Yes, you can just let the butter melt, strain, and put it back in the fridge and enjoy as normal.
Hi, new member, here! I followed your Instant Pot MCT oil recipe to a “T” and I’m pretty sure I just ended up making CBD, not THC-infused MCT oil. (The latter was my objective.) Am I right in understanding that the only options with Instant Pot decarb and infusion are as follows?:
Depending on the flower you use, with this method you can create:
[CBD Oil]
[CBG ‘Focus’ Oil]
[CBN ‘Sleep’ Oil]
[AVB (Already Been Vaped) Oil]
I did decarb, as instructed here, for 40 minutes on high pressure:
Each cannabinoid decarboxylates at a different temperature, so it’s important to select the appropriate time based on the flower you have.
Use this guide to select the decarb time that is right for you.
THCA to THC → bake at 240° F for 40 minutes
CBDA to CBD → bake at 240°F for 90 minutes
CBGA to CBG → bake at 220°F for 60 minutes
THC to CBN→ bake at 240°F for 180 minutes
So I’m guessing that I wasted an ounce of flower using an Instant Pot instead of a crock pot? I’ve had luck with a crock pot and butter in the past, but the decarb and infusing I did with the Instant Pot and MCT oil didn’t yield similar results in terms of desired efficacy. Should I just use a crock pot for all THC infusions? And is it necessary to use the mason jar/hot water bath method in the crock pot for butter, coconut oil, or MCT oil? I had luck with butter without mason jars in the past. That being said, the last couple batches I made didn’t taste great, but were effective. Any advice you have regarding all these questions is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Hi @Raoul_Delward! I responded to you in the community as well 🙂
1 – Can you explain to me where you think you went wrong? You’re saying you decarbed the flower for 40 minutes first and then put the oil in and infused for another 4 hours on slow cook?
2 – You cannot “create” CBD if it is not already present in the plants genetics. So if you’re thinking that by cooking for longer you have created CBD, that’s not possible, unless there was already CBDA present in the flower. In which case, THC remains – THC does not ever turn into CBD. They’re two separate things.
Let me know your thoughts!
I would not recommend putting any mason jar in the Instant Pot, I have had a jar break in there!
Hi Connie! I am sorry to hear you had a jar break 🙁 Mason jars meant for canning are meant to withstand both the temperature and pressure, but if you’re nervous in the future, you could always vacuum seal the flower and oil or butter in a bag and cook it that way to avoid any glass at all. I hope this helps!
Do you UN-vent your instant pot when on the Slow Cooker mode for 4 hours?
Hey Melissa, no I personally do not.
Hello Emily! Fast question for you – can I cut the recipe in half? I’m just experimenting with CBD oil and I don’t want to make quite so much. I’m borrowing an Instant Pot, so don’t have any experience with it yet either! Thanks – Judy
Hello, Judy! Yes, you absolutely can. You can also always refer to this flower-to-oil ratio guide to help you make different sized batches 😀
I followed your instruction and the end result was a beautiful golden yellow canna-coconut oil! I have used other methods to make canna-coconut oil and the results have always been good but the color was greenish.
I can’t wait to try this oil in my gummies recipe.
I am so glad to hear you’ve had a successful batch, Tom, thanks so much for letting us know 🙂 I hope your gummies turn out great!
I’ve made many attempts over many years trying to perfect the DIY decarb/infuse process. I’ve never been able to get it right… until now. HOLY WOW! I followed the instructions exactly and the final product is way better than I could have ever expected. Super potent and the unrefined coconut oil makes it taste good straight out of the jar. I used popcorn buds so they were perfect size and I didn’t have to mess with them. I was *slightly* paranoid about the mason jars under pressure even though they are intended for canning. Store bought edibles are expensive around where I live so this a game changer being able to make my own at a fraction of the cost!
The only problem I encountered was that I underestimated the smell. Even with great ventilation (multiple fans, open windows, etc.) it took quite some time to get the smell out of the house. I did this in the furthest corner of basement and it still managed to make its way up to the main floor. So if you’re worried about smell I’d suggest doing this outside or in a garage/shed if possible.
Hey Db4y – thanks so much for sharing your experience with us, I am so glad it worked out so well for you 😀
How much water do you add if you have the biggest instant pot?
J.K – I would place the filled jars (lid on) on the trivet inside the IP and then add water until the contents of the mason jars are covered. So, if you’re mason jar is ½ way full of butter and flower, the water goes ½ way up the outside of the jar. You don’t need to submerge them. I hope this helps 😀
Hello Emily, are all mason jars safe to put on the instant pot?
Hi there, I! I recommend sticking with mason jars that are specifically meant for canning, so they can withstand the pressure and heat 🙂