Cannabutter, also called weed butter, budder, or cannabis butter, is easy to make! Learn two different methods for making this basic cannabis cooking technique. Cannabutter can be simply used on toast or in many of our great ganja recipes!
A ratio of 1/2 oz good marijuana to 3/4 lb butter is recommended.
Two Simple Ways to Make Cannabutter
For text instructions scroll down. This video is one of the better tutorials we have come across, so we decided to post it here:
Cannabutter is a butter-based substance that contains THC (or, more specifically, cannabinoids). By heating cannabis and butter, the fat in the butter allows for the extraction of the cannabinoids. For more information, check out The Science of Cooking with Cannabis. There are a number of effective methods for making cannabutter, two of which will be explained here.
Cannabutter Method #1
Crumble (or crush) some cannabis tops, enough to fill a pot or a double boiler roughly 1/3 full. Using a mixture of 1-part butter and 4-parts water, fill the pot until it is about 3/4 full. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. Stir frequently.
After 30 minutes, remove debris from the bottom of the pot. Strain with cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. Cool at room temperature and then transfer to a refrigerator. The butter will form on the top and, once it has been thoroughly cooled, will harden so it can be removed from the pot. After removing the butter, discard the remaining water.
Cannabutter Method #2
Using a saucepan or a double boiler, melt butter. Sift the marijuana and add it to the melted butter. Allow the mixture to simmer until the butter becomes green in color. Pour the mixture through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer and press that saturated cannabis to squeeze out as much butter as possible. Repeat this process if extra potency is required (be sure to use the same butter for best results).
The cannabutter can be effectively frozen if it needs to be stored. It can also be stored in the refrigerator by pouring cold water over the top of the butter (the water keeps oxygen from reaching the butter and also stops the butter from floating to the top).
There are a variety of other methods for making cannabutter, all of which are effective yet somewhat similar to those previously described. Once you've gotten used to cooking with cannabis, you will be able to find a technique that works best for you depending on the preparations methods you prefer. For the best results, we recommend using a double boiler, that way you don't burn the bottom of the pan and ruin your product! For more tips, check out our Cannabis Cooking Do's and Don'ts.
See Cooking with Cannabutter for more information about how to use cannabutter in cooking and what foods to use it in.
