Cannabis butter, in one answer
Cannabis butter is butter infused with cannabinoids from decarbed cannabis or hemp flower. You heat the flower first to activate THCA into THC or CBDA into CBD, then simmer it in melted butter so the fat pulls the cannabinoids out of the plant. The result is a solid cooking fat you can use in baked goods, sauces, and simple sautes. Strength depends on the flower, the ratio, and how well you decarb.
Why decarboxylation comes first
Raw flower does not carry much active THC or CBD. It carries acidic forms, THCA and CBDA. Heat removes a carbon dioxide group and converts those acids into THC and CBD. Skip that step and you get weak butter no matter how long you simmer. I treat decarb as the real recipe and the butter as the extraction.
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For THC flower, a common home range is 220 degrees F to 240 degrees F for 30 to 45 minutes. For CBD hemp flower, some people go a little longer, closer to 60 to 90 minutes at 230 degrees F, because CBDA converts less easily. Ovens run hot or cold, so use an oven thermometer. Grind coarse, spread thin on parchment, and expect a toasted, herbal smell.
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Pick a fat and a ratio
Butter works because it is roughly 80% fat and 15% water. The water helps keep the plant material from scorching, and the fat holds cannabinoids. Clarified butter or ghee gives you more fat per gram and a longer shelf life, but it lacks the water cushion. Both work.
Ratio is the lever you control. A common starting point is 1 ounce of decarbed flower to 1 pound of butter, or 4 sticks. That is a strong batch. For a milder, more flexible cooking butter, use 1/2 ounce per pound. If you grow or buy low-potency hemp, you may want 1 ounce per pound or more. Write down the flower, the weight, and the butter weight. Without those notes, dosing is guesswork.
Stovetop method
- Decarb the flower and let it cool.
- Melt 1 pound of butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add 1 cup of water to help regulate temperature.
- Add the decarbed flower. Stir gently.
- Hold the mixture at 160 degrees F to 180 degrees F for 2 to 3 hours. Do not let it boil. A double boiler or a heat diffuser makes this easier.
- Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Squeeze the plant material to recover butter, then discard it.
- Chill the bowl. The butter will firm up on top. Lift it off, and discard the watery layer underneath.
You can also use a slow cooker on low or a sous vide setup. The temperature target stays the same. Boiling drives off water and can push fat past the point where cannabinoids degrade.
CBD butter and THC butter are not the same
Hemp flower bred for CBD usually carries very little THC, often under 0.3% by dry weight. That makes CBD butter a practical option if you want a cooking fat without meaningful intoxication. The tradeoff is that CBD dosing feels different. It is not about a sharp high. It is about a gradual, subtle effect that many people use for wind-down routines.
THC butter is intoxicating. The same recipe can produce a small serving or a very strong one depending on flower potency. Label it clearly and keep it away from anyone who does not know what it is.
Dosing without guessing
You cannot know exact potency without lab testing your flower and your finished butter. You can still make a reasonable estimate. Multiply the flower weight in grams by the flower's THC or CBD percentage. That gives total cannabinoid content in grams. Assume a home infusion captures roughly 60% to 80% of it. Divide by the number of servings in your batch.
Example: 14 grams of 15% THC flower is 2.1 grams of THC, or 2,100 mg. At 70% extraction, that is about 1,470 mg in the batch. Cut into 48 servings, each is about 30 mg. That is a strong serving for many people. Start with a quarter of your estimate and wait at least two hours before judging.
Storage and shelf life
Keep butter in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or freeze it in small portions for several months. Freezing in an ice cube tray or a silicone mold makes dosing easier. Label the container with the date, flower type, and ratio. Butter picks up fridge odors, so wrap it well.
Common mistakes I see
- Simmering raw flower without decarbing.
- Letting the butter boil hard.
- Using a rough ratio and no notes.
- Straining too soon and leaving cannabinoids in the plant material.
- Serving without a clear label or a wait time.