Guess how long ago people started to make weed edibles.
Any ideas?
Well, use of cannabis by humans dates back to at least the third millennium BC.
For millennia, the plant has been valued for its use for fiber and rope, as food and medicine, and for its psychoactive properties for religious and recreational use.
With cannabis legalizing across the globe, edibles are becoming more popular than ever. And cooking with marijuana has advanced a lot, even since people got the brilliant idea to add their weed to some brownie batter a couple decades ago.
Oke, let’s get to it
In this article, we will cover exactly how to make weed edibles and drinkables. We will show every cannabis infusion and extraction that we find suitable to make at home, and all the steps you should follow to make edibles the right way.
Here are some good reasons to make edible marijuana.
- You don’t have to be a chef to know how to cook simple medical marijuana edibles recipes
- Edibles give you a body high that can be very relaxing
- Once you learn how to make cannabis edibles, you will have a healthier alternative to smoking pot
- The high from edibles last longer than smoking it
- It’s cheaper than buying them, and you get more for your money than smoking.
- Pain relief and treatment for a whole list of conditions
- It’s fun and tasty
The con is, that when you eat edibles it takes much longer to kick in than smoking it. It usually takes up to an hour while you feel the effects of smoking cannabis straight away. Because the onset is slow, you have to plan accordingly. If you’re driving later on in the day, then you have to eat it super early or else you won’t be able to drive.
The first step: Choose your cannabis strain
Just like when you smoke weed, strains make the difference. Advice from the budtender at your local dispensary is a good idea before getting out the mixing bowl and measuring cup.
Whether, you choose Sativa strains or Indica, In terms of potency, there are a few things that determine how the high hits. Tolerance, metabolism, your weight, and even how much you have already eaten that day. While mostly the strain determines which effect you feel when cooking with cannabis, it will also change the flavor and aroma of your finished edibles. Some strains have a fruity flavor while others have a coffee aroma. Here is a small list of strains we like for cooking weed edibles.
Step 2: How To Decarboxylate Cannabis?
You might have already heard about it, if you want to get high from your cannabis, you need it to be decarboxylated. This is because it is THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) that makes you feel high. And raw cannabis contains THC-A, which is the acidic form of this cannabinoid. To convert THC-A to THC we need to heat the cannabis.
Now, decarboxylation also happens when you are infusing your cannabis with butter or oil and baking cookies from it after that. But to make sure you decarboxylate it to its full potential, we will put the raw cannabis in the oven beforehand.
- Place your roughly chopped cannabis in an ovenproof dish.
- Cover with foil and place in a preheated oven on 240F/115C for 40 minutes.
- Your weed is now decarbed and ready to be cooked with.
This is in our opinion the best way to decarb your cannabis with your standard home appliances. But if you do not want your house smelling like marijuana, we recommend you Decarboxylate without any smell.
If you continue to decarb, once all of the THC-A has converted to THC, it will begin to convert to CBN, the strongest sedative of the known cannabinoids. If you are looking for sleep-inducing edibles, you should leave the tray of material in the oven longer than is suggested. The additional time you will leave the tray in the oven will impact the ratio of THC to CBN in the edibles.
Step 3: Choose your infusion method.
If you want to make weed edibles, you need to first make a cannabis extraction or infusion.
This, is done by simply extracting the Cannabinoids out of the plant material.
Both THC and CBD are fat-soluble cannabinoids. This is why people often use cannabis butter and cannabis oil to make edibles. Both Cannabinoids are also ethanol soluble, so infusing in alcohol is also an option and is called a cannabis Tincture.
Your choice of cannabis extraction determines your final product. For example, cannabis butter is great for baking cookies, but if you want to make weed-infused candies we recommend using a cannabis Tincture. That way, you don’t get a floating layer of butter on your Weed gummy bears.
Now, there are a lot of cannabis extraction and infusion methods possible. We will cover the methods that make the most sense to create at home.
Infused Cannabis butter and Cannabis oil
If you would like to infuse your weed with a fat, u have a whole list of possibilities. Instead of using butter, u can use bacon fat, duck fat, olive oil or even truffle oil. Pretty much anything with a high-fat percentage will do. And the process of infusing it with weed is all the same. If you want to add more flavor to your cannabis oil or cannabutter, simply add some herbs to the mix like rosemary, thyme or garlic. If, that will compliment your finished dish in mind. But if you want to make a batch of weed butter or oil and use it for a variety of different recipes, we recommend to just keep it plain.
In this cannabis butter & cannabis oil recipe we use mason jars. It is important to use strong mason jars so they won’t shatter when heated. For that same reason, it’s important to put the mason jars in a pot with cold water before you put up the heat. The reason we use mason jars is that
- It’s easy
- No strong cannabis smell in the house
We also add Sunflower lecithin to the mix, which is a good emulsifier. More importantly, lecithin improves bioavailability which is the degree and rate that the body can absorb and process the cannabinoids.
The cannabis infusion takes about 2-3 hours. Keep in mind that if you infuse the oil or butter for longer than 3 hours, some of the THC can begin to convert to CBN, making the effects of your edibles more sedative.
We are using the ratio of 1/4 Ounce(7gram) of decarbed cannabis with 1 cup(225gram) of butter/oil. But you can change the ratio however you like and even just use a gram of cannabis if that’s what you want.
Ingredients
- 1/4Ounce(7gram) Cannabis
- 1 cup(225gram) Butter or oil
Directions
- Place the decarbed cannabis in a strong mason jar, add butter or oil and 1 tsp of sunflower lecithin
- Place your closed jar in a pot with cold water and let it come to a boil.
- Boil for 2 to 3 hours and add more water to the pan if needed.
- Strain your butter through a cheesecloth, pantyhose or fine sieve.
- Cool down
Cannabis Infused Coconut oil
Cannabis coconut oil is exactly the same process of making cannabis butter or oil.
Coconut oil is great to infuse your weed with to make edibles or topicals. Coconut oil has among the highest concentration of fatty acids (saturated fats). The surplus of these fatty acids in the coconut oil creates a stronger binding agent for cannabinoids.
Coconut oil also contains other sets of beneficial acids that have been known to have a list of potential health benefits.
Just like cannabutter, you can use cannabis coconut oil for a whole list of dishes such as Canna oatmeal cookies or a coconut Chocolate bar. But, making a cannabis coconut oil infusion is also great if you want to make creams, lotions or face masks.
Cannabis Tincture
A cannabis tincture is a great choice of extraction if you want to start to make weed edibles. Using alcohol as a base, marijuana can be extracted and made into concentrated extracts called tinctures.
One of the main benefits of a tincture is that you can use it for a variety of weed edibles. Especially great for candies and infused drinks but also, a tincture solution can be squeezed out through an eyedropper syringe under your tongue.
The following recipe is called the Green Dragon Tincture and is very quick and easy to make. U will need decarbed cannabis and high proof alcohol like Everclear. You can also use vegetable glycerin instead of alcohol to make a tincture. In that case, mix the 2 together in a mason jar and store it in a dark cool place for at least 4 weeks.
If you don’t want to feel the high from the cannabis tincture. alternatively, you can make a CBD tincture by simply using a strain high in CBD. Don’t forget you are working with high proof alcohol, and alcohol is highly flammable. So avoid smoking while making the recipe at all times.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce (28 gram) decarbed cannabis
- 2 cups (225 gram) Everclear or other high proof alcohol. (food grade)
Directions
- Place the decarbed cannabis in a plastic bucket.
- Crush the cannabis, while adding 1 cup solvent until the plant material is completely covered and soaked. And continue crushing for 3 minutes.
- Strain your solvent into a mason jar.
- With the remaining solvent. Again add 1 cup solvent to the plant material and work for another three minutes to extract the remaining THC.
- Now pour the solvent with the cannabis in the mason jar.
- Close your mason jar and place it in a pot with cold water.
- Let the water boil, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Cool down, strain, and store
How to make Cannabis sugar:
To make an infused cannabis sugar you will need plain sugar and an already made cannabis tincture. We used a half cup tincture with 4 cups sugar in this recipe. Cannasugar can be used just like normal sugar, easily making just about anything weed-infused.
Stir a spoonful into your coffee or tea, add to your favorite cookie or candy recipe, or even make a Cannabis Bubblegum or Weed infused Mojito Cocktail and crush that cannasugar with lime.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cannabis tincture
- 4 cups sugar
Directions
- Add 4 cups of sugar into a glass bowl.
- Add ½ cup of cannabis tincture and mix well with the sugar.
- Line a tray with parchment paper, and even spread the sugar over the parchment paper in a thin layer.
- Let stand overnight.
- Using a solid object, like a bottle, can or the bottom of a glass, crush up the sugar to remove the lumps.
- Store in a cool dry place and add a vanilla bean for more flavor
Full extraction cannabis oil (FECO)
As you probably know, cannabis oils are big business these days. Available all over the world and cooked up by thousands of different brands, they’ve become an everyday essential for millions.
Of course, the fact that there are so many different types of cannabis oil doesn’t make choosing the right one to make weed edibles easy. Especially given the way in which some of these oils are being used as natural treatments for a wide variety of conditions. As such, it’s worth taking the time to note the key differences from one to the next.
What’s the difference?
FECO is different than cannabis-infused oil like we showed before. rather than infusing the cannabis with oil to than make weed edibles, the oil that contains in the cannabis is extracted by using a solvent such as alcohol. The solvent is then boiled off leaving behind a pure concentrated cannabis oil which has a balsamic reduction kind of texture and color.
Medical cannabis products like this have shown particularly strong potential in the treatment of Epilepsy, PTSD, multiple sclerosis and even Parkinson’s Disease.
FECO has a tendency to be so strong that it is often taken in daily doses no larger than a grain of rice. However, this differs in accordance with the patient and the condition in question.
The biggest difference with FECO comes in the way in which it is extracted. The most common cannabis oils are produced using CO2 and butane hash oil (BHO) extraction methods, which result in slightly different products. For example, while FECO is designed for oral consumption, cannabis oils extracted by different means are primarily designed for inhalation.
Typically, FECO will be used to fill capsules to be swallowed, or simply placed in the mouth by way of an oral syringe. But u are also able to make FECO at home, to then make weed edibles with it. While it is safe to make FECO at home, there should still be some caution. The fumes are highly flammable so it is best to work outside or in a well-ventilated area. And stay far away from smoking, sparks, stove-tops, and red-hot heating elements. A rice cooker, working outside, is the safest way to make it. U can watch the full-text recipe for Full Extraction Cannabis Oil Here. See video below.
Hash oil & Kief oil
If you want to know how to make weed edibles the quickest way possible. Hash oil or kiev oil is your best choice to make weed edibles. Instead of infusing cannabis with oil or butter for hours so the THC gets extracted into the oil, with this recipe you just dissolve the hash in the oil. But just like cannabis oil, you need to Decarboxylate your hash or kief first.
Ingredients to make Hash Oil
- 1 gram Hash or Kiev
- 1/4 cup oil
Directions to make Hash Oil
- In a strong mason jar, place your decarbed hash or kief together with oil and close the jar.
- Put it in a pot of cold water and let the water come to a boil. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- Take the mason jar out, and stir your oil to see that everything is dissolved.
- Your hash oil is ready.
Cannabis rosin for edibles
Rosin is a concentrate produced by using a combination of pressure and heat to cannabis buds, releasing the THC-packed resin. This can be made safely and inexpensively in just minutes by using ordinary household tools like a hair straightener
The great thing about this extraction is that you can start to make weed edibles at home in no time. The con is that there is no way that you can extract all the cannabinoids in the cannabis using a hair straightener. However, the leftover flat cannabis bud disks can be used to make another infusion like cannabis butter.
You will need:
- A hair straightener
- Cannabis buds
- Parchment paper
- Tweezer or small knife
Directions
1. Turn on your hair straightener to the lowest setting (280-330F) and cut yourself a small 4×4” piece of parchment paper. Now fold it in half and place your cannabis in between the folded parchment paper.
2. Carefully line the buds inside of the paper together with your hair straightener and apply a very firm pressure for about 3-7 seconds. You will want to hear a sizzle before you remove the pressures — it indicates that the resin has melted from the plant material.
3. Remove from the hot surface and unfold the parchment paper. Now use your tweezers or small knife to collect your concentrate. And save your leftover cannabis disk to make another cannabis infusion another time.
Just like cannabis buds, you will need to decarboxylate your concentrate to. U can then dissolve it in a bit of oil and use it to make weed edibles.
Step 4: Make weed edibles
Now that you choose your extraction or infusion method, it’s time to make weed edibles from it. The process is just like making any other food recipe. Except that you need to make sure you Calculate your dosing of THC and CBD so you get your desired effects. You can now use cannabis sugar to make a delicious mojito, or cannabis butter to make some delicious Chocolate chip weed cookies.
One more thing, you need to make sure when you make weed edible dishes or sweets that you never heat the product to high. THC is completely degraded at temperatures in excess of 392F(200C) and it starts to break down long before that. We recommend to never put your oven higher than 350F(175C).
In this video, we will show you how we made the finished result of a weed edible.
I hope you learned more on how to make weed edibles and are ready to start cooking cannabis after this article. If you have more questions or want to share your creations, simply visit the cannadish group where questions are always answered and any problems regarding cooking with weed are always solved.
Get all the tools you need to start cooking weed edibles!
View our cannabis cooking products here and get all the tools you need to make weed edibles at home!