15 Best Ways to Use Leftover Cannabis Pulp

Are you looking for a great way to make the most of your product and re-use the leftover plant matter leftover from making cannabis-infused butter or cannabis-infused oils? Instead of throwing out that leftover cannabis flower pulp, learn how to save it, store it, repurpose it or use it to make your own cannabis edibles with one of my delicious recipe ideas.

Article Features

• Tips and tricks for using spent flower
• 15+yummy recipes to try with leftover pulp
• Want to make it easy? Skip he hard work and have my premium cannabis edibles delivered directly to your doorstep. Now shipping across the US!

Why This Method Works

I recently received a question over in my Well With Cannabis Community from a reader who said:

“You’ve got the best cannabis cookie recipe and the easiest way to infuse coconut oil. Is there anything I can do with the leftover pulp?”

The answer is YES, don’t throw out that pulp!

Is There Anything Good Left?

If you make your own infusions, you know that there is leftover plant material from the straining process:

• Cannabutter
• Coconut oil
• MCT oil
• Olive oil
• Kief butter
• CBD butter
• Alcohol tincture

Now, some people argue that the spent cannabis flower is ‘garbage’ after the extraction process.

Others counter-argue that the leftover weed material is full of beneficial nutrients, compounds, and even a few cannabinoids and terpenes.

Chances are, there are small amounts of cannabinoids like CBD, THC, or CBG stuck in the leftover plant material, making it worth saving and enjoying.

I value all parts of the plant, especially for a full-spectrum experience.

Anecdotally, many Well With Cannabis Community members report that they find it beneficial to save the leftover pulp and use it with various effects ranging from a sleep aid to providing pain relief.

As long as you like the taste and enjoy it, it’s great to reuse and recycle cannabis plant byproducts wherever possible.

Lets explore all of the ways you can reclaim the good stuff and create some tasty cannabis-infused treats!

Reclaim the Remaining Oil

If you have already made cannabis butter or an oil infusion, you can try to reclaim any remaining oil from the marijuana flowers using boiling water. 

To do this, all you need to do is pour boiling hot water over the leftover pulp and let the butter or oil and water separate and cool. 

Once cooled, the remaining butter or oil will solidify and rise to the surface. You can then remove the remaining solid fat or oil slab and discard the water and remaining plant material.

Note, this process only works for oils that solidify when cold, like coconut oil and butter.

This process will not work for infused olive oil or infused MCT oil.

Or you could skip this process and try one of these awesome tried and true ways to use up leftover cannabis pulp below!

How to Store Leftover Cannabis Pulp

After the infusion and straining process, you will be left with a ball of plant material leftover in your filter, cheesecloth, strainer, or French press.

If you don’t plan to use it in one of these recipes right away, there are many different ways you can store it, including refrigerating, freezing, or drying it out.

I recommend refrigerating or freezing for oil infusions, and for alcohol extractions, I recommend drying it out.

Just keep in mind what edible options you may want to use it for, and store accordingly.

Breakdown For Immediate Use

If you plan on using your leftover cannabis pulp in a recipe right away, one suggestion I have is to break down the material before adding it to a dish.

This is because, oftentimes, the cannabis flower is not ground into a fine powder before infusing into an oil.

This means that the leftover pulp can have a coarse consistency, which may not be palatable for use in some of these recipes.

To overcome this problem, break down the leftover pulp in a blender or food processor first before adding the material to a recipe.

This will help to ensure no large buds or stems are caught up in the delicious recipe you’re about to enjoy.

Store in the Refrigerator

If you plan on using it within the week, you can store the leftover pulp in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Remember that if you store it in the refrigerator for longer than a week, you run the chance of it molding or spoiling.

Store in the Freezer

If you want to store your leftover cannabis pulp for longer than a week, for best results I recommend you store it in the freezer. 

Freezing does not dilute or destroy any remaining potency, and if anything, helps to retain it.

The leftover pulp can be stored in the freezer for a long time, months even.

From personal experience, I do recommend storing it in ¼ cup or ½ cup portions so it’s easier to pull from the freezer and use it when you want.

If you freeze it in one big block, you will have to thaw it all out at once together too.

Just remember, when thawing to never thaw it out in the microwave, as the microwave can destroy the potency of any remaining cannabinoids.

It is recommended to let it thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. If you need use use heat, use low heat.

Dry For Long Term Storage

If you’ve made an alcohol tincture, like Green dragon or Golden dragon, it is easy to leave the leftover cannabis pulp out to dry to evaporate off any remaining alcohol.

Spread the leftover pulp out on a large surface – like a lined baking sheet, cookie sheet, or large pan.

Leave uncovered and allow to air dry for a few days, stirring frequently. Feel the material to see how moist or dry it is.

Once it is completely dried, you can store it in an airtight container.

Note: this method will not work for oil infusions as the oil does not dry out completely.

My community members have also reported putting a tiny amount of this dried-out material in tea bags, capsules, regular brownies, and more.

How Much To Use?

If you’re brand new to edibles or making cannabis recipes, it’s important to note that it can oftentimes be difficult to estimate your final product potency.

It will be even more difficult to estimate the potency because a high concentration of cannabinoids will have already been extracted during the infusion process.

Ultimately, the potency of your leftover weed material will depend on many variables.

Specifically, two things, the potency of your starting material (i.e. flower buds, fan leaves or trim, regular vs. CBD flower) and the cooking process you have already used.

Ultimately, it will be impossible to know the THC content of this material without lab testing. That is why I recommend exercising caution when you use leftover cannabis pulp.

For recipes featuring cannabis pulp, it is recommended to start low and go slow.

I recommend starting with just a ¼ cup of leftover flower pulp in addition to a recipe and going from there. 

This will give you time to experiment with not only the potency but the taste too, as the spent cannabis flower can have a very strong taste to some people.