How to Make Cannabis-Infused Cooking Oil
Cooking oil is practically used in every recipe. Therefore by using this guide, you can now turn your favourite meals into cannabis-infused delicacies! Exciting right? Now you can bring your cooking to a whole new level 🙂
Cannabis-infused oil is one of the most adaptable cooking mediums on the planet. Used in all areas of cooking; from baking dessert treats, cooking up your favourite sauces, drizzling it over your pasta, or when your just frying up some early morning eggs, cannabis-infused cooking oil fits your needs.
If you’re just skimming the post, the recipe is at the very bottom of the article!
Bon Appetite. Any meal becomes a delicacy when you add cannabis-infused cooking oil!
Ever wanted to make edibles but don’t know where to start? Did you think edibles were just too tricky to make? I did too… until I made this beginner’s guide!
I always wondered how to calculate the edible potency. After a lot of trial and error, I stopped guessing. The Canna School has an edible dosage calculator so you can be more accurate with your potency levels.
In this blog, we teach you how to make cannabis-infused cooking oil and have a dosage calculator to help improve your knowledge of the oil! We also have a comprehensive guide for this in our cannabis cookbook, along with over 130 other edible recipes, you can learn more about our cookbook here!
Cannabis-Infused Coconut Oil
When making cannabis-infused coconut oil, we use refined organic coconut oil when we make our infusions. That is because it does not have any distinct coconut taste or aroma, making it a good cooking medium. Here’s the brand we have been using and that has proven to work well for us to this date! Here’s a link to the refined coconut oil that we use.
Organic Refined Coconut Oil
Dosage Guide to Cannabis Oil
The dosage guide to making cannabis oil tends to be a little tricky. You’re going to have a hard time finding the exact potency of the oil that you’re making. It’s also worth noting that since some recipes are going to require more oil than others, you’re going to want to add the recommended amount of oil into the mix (so it’s not too potent). But, it’s up to you.
The Problem
It’s not always easy to know the exact potency of the cannabis that you’re using. Especially since you have activated the cannabis. You should have a rough idea of the THC percentage, but there is still lots of room for error. You also have to keep in mind that if there is a small error in your calculations at the beginning, this error is going to be carried throughout, and it will make your final potency percentage off by quite a bit.
The Solution
We have a great dosage calculator to help you when you’re cooking cannabis oil. Keep in mind, since you won’t have an exact percentage it’s going to be off by a little bit. This tool should help you get a rough estimate for the potency of your oil.
This dosage calculator will automatically update when you fill out your own values. It will work for both kief and cannabis flowers.
The Importance of Decarboxylation When Making Cannabis Oil
If you want to learn more in-depth about decarboxylation – click here to read our comprehensive article on how to decarboxylate cannabis!
For your weed edibles to work the way you want them to, there is a very important step. That step is decarboxylation. All this means is that you need to activate the THC, that way you get the psychoactive effects you intended for. The literal definition of decarboxylation is: “a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO2)” When it comes to cannabis, Decarboxylation removes the COOH group from the THC-A molecule by releasing H2O and CO2, turning it into the psychoactive THC. This step is crucial because it will turn the THC-A molecule into the psychoactive THC molecule. If you were to smoke cannabis this would already be happening naturally when you burn it. But, since in this case, there is no cannabis being burned we need to do this extra step.
How to Decarboxylate
We’re going to be heating the cannabis up to a certain temperature. This is the same thing that vaping cannabis does. It’s possible to use vaped cannabis inside of your weed edibles, and there will be psychoactive effects. However, if you have already vaped that cannabis, you will have already used a substantial amount of THC. Consequently, you will have to use much more cannabis in the edible If you are using kief, follow the same process as buds, just skip the grinding step. If you’re using cannabis flower, the first step is to grind your cannabis buds. Once you have ground the cannabis, get an oven-safe tray, and cover it in parchment paper. Next, spread the cannabis evenly over the sheet.
What Temperature to Activate The Cannabis?
The temperature that you should be heating the cannabis to is a bit of a debate. There might be better temperatures out there, and you will have no trouble finding people that claim theirs is the best. To their defence, they might be right. But, the temperatures that we have here are backed by some scientific evidence. At the end of the day, you’re going to have a hard time finding temperatures with a noticeably different effect than these. In other words, these temperatures will do the job! 240 degrees Fahrenheit is the number that I’ve had success with. There has also been some good research done by our friends over at Marijuana Growers HQ. They did an amazing decarboxylation experiment and noted their results:
Below are two decarboxylation charts to help give you a reference to the conversion of THCA to THC and CBDA to CBD. You will want to decarboxylate your cannabis anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes.
Cannabis Decarboxylation Chart
trim decarb at 240 degress farenheit
Equipment Needed to Make Cannabis Oil
Materials Needed:
Infusion Machines Make Edibles For You!
Levo Infusion Machine
Decarboxylating and infusing your cannabis edibles can take a lot of time and effort. Luckily, there are great infusion devices to make this process as easy and seamless as possible. Cannabis-infusion machines are countertop devices that decarboxylate and infuse your butter, oils, and other ingredients for you. With just a few clicks you will have cannabis edibles at your disposal!
We recommend the LEVO Infusion Machine which is the best infusion device on the market. Use code CANNASCHOOL at checkout for 10% OFF!
Recipe for Cannabis-Infused Cooking Oil
Cannabis-Infused Cooking Oil
A versatile edible medium that is simple to make.
Equipment
- Either a Double-Boiler, Slow Cooker, or Saucepan
- Oven
- Baking Tray
- Parchment Paper
- Grinder or Scissors
- Cheesecloth or Strainer
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1Step 1
Grind up the cannabis. Preferably grind up the flower/bud as it’s the most potent and will get you a more accurate measurement, but you can include the whole plant. Make sure that it is large enough to not fall through the cloth/strainer. Anything fine enough will end up in the final product.
- 2Step 2
Decarboxylate your cannabis by spreading the cannabis evenly on a baking tray and putting it in the oven for 45 minutes at 240 degrees Fahrenheit. (If you are using trichomes/kief scroll down to image at bottom)
- 3Step 3
With the cheesecloth wrap the ground cannabis and tie it together.
- 4Step 4
Add oil and cannabis into either a slow cooker, double-boiler, or saucepan. For a slow cooker cook on low for 4-6 hours, and stirring it occasionally. Using a double-boiler, cook on low for 6-8 hours ( 8 hours is recommended), and stirring occasionally. Finally using a saucepan, cook on low for 3 hours and stir it frequently, as the saucepan is susceptible to scorching..Tip* You can add a bit of water to the mixture to help prevent burning.Note: The temperature of the oil should not exceed 240 F no matter which method is used.
- 5Step 5
Strain and capture the oil. If using a cheesecloth do not squeeze, this adds more unnecessary chlorophyll to the oil. Leftover plant materials can be discarded.
- 6Step 6
Finished ! The oils shelf life is at least 2 months! And can be extended by keeping it refrigerated.
Nutrition
www.thecannaschool.caCannabis-Infused Cooking Oil
A versatile edible medium that is simple to make.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Ground Cannabis Flower
- 1 Cup Cooking Oil
Instructions
1. Grind up the cannabis. Preferably grind up the flower/bud as it’s the most potent and will get you a more accurate measurement, but you can include the whole plant. Make sure that it is large enough to not fall through the cloth/strainer. Anything fine enough will end up in the final product.
2. Decarboxylate your cannabis by spreading the cannabis evenly on a baking tray and putting it in the oven for 45 minutes at 240 degrees Fahrenheit. (If you are using trichomes/kief scroll down to image at bottom)
3. With the cheesecloth wrap the ground cannabis and tie it together.
4. Add oil and cannabis into either a slow cooker, double-boiler, or saucepan. For a slow cooker cook on low for 4-6 hours, and stirring it occasionally. Using a double-boiler, cook on low for 6-8 hours ( 8 hours is recommended), and stirring occasionally. Finally using a saucepan, cook on low for 3 hours and stir it frequently, as the saucepan is susceptible to scorching..Tip* You can add a bit of water to the mixture to help prevent burning.Note: The temperature of the oil should not exceed 240 F no matter which method is used.
5. Strain and capture the oil. If using a cheesecloth do not squeeze, this adds more unnecessary chlorophyll to the oil. Leftover plant materials can be discarded.
6. Finished ! The oils shelf life is at least 2 months! And can be extended by keeping it refrigerated.
How to Store Cannabis Oil
We recommend storing your cannabis-infused oil in an airtight jar, such as a glass mason jar. This will extend the shelf life and preserve the cannabis coconut oil for longer, along with keeping it safe from contaminents. We also recommend keeping it refrigerated to extend the shelf life even further. Oil that is both refrigerated and kept in an airtight jar can last up to 2 months!
After the cannabis oil cools down, it will harden up again and become a light green shade as seen in the picture below. The potency and color will be dependant on how much cannabis you use to infuse the oil.
If you liked this recipe and are looking to learn/ read more – check out our cook cannabis category! Lot’s of edible recipes there and new ones are being uploaded daily! Click here to learn more!
Jake Randall is a journalist, author, and University of Guelph Alumni with expertise in all things cannabis, along with knowledge in economics, the environment, and everything in between. Originally from just outside Toronto Canada, Jake has taken on the role of a senior cannabis correspondent at The Cannabis School.
Comments
Great information Ryan Some people amaze me reading comments & questions ♀️♀️ If I intend on researching &reading an article I normally tend to actually read the article. Just my 2 cents from Saint Louis Waiting on my oil to finish in my new MMB God life is easier with this thing I LOVE IT Have an awesome evening ✌
Can you make the oil using crumble?
Why does butter machine instructions read decant at 250 degree for 30 min and 1 hour in machine.
Would stems be the same decarb time or longer?
Hi Jake, If I start with a cup of Coconut Oil and a cup of ground flower what is left at the end? Would I get a cup of oil or will it end up being 16 Tablespoons? I'd like to yield 2 cups of infused solid oil. Basically, I am looking to make a batch of your gummy bear recipe with about a 5mg/bear. Assume my flower is 12.5%THC. Also, my molds are about a third of the size vs the ones you recommend. Roughly 1/4 tsp/each bear @ 100 bears. I planned on reducing your gummy recipe to accommodate. Can you give me some more direction? Sorry for the mathematically challenged question!
Hello! Can you just use Kief to make the oil? How would you go about doing that?
Hi we would like to know if adding the gelatin will dilute the thc oil. We are trying to make a very low dose (like 5mg) for my grandma. And we’re just having a hard time figuring it out.
Is there any reason one could not use hemp oil rather than coconut oil?
Why is it bad for the oil to get above 240? I'm just curious. Because I don't want to accidentally do that
Thank you for all that you offer here I've been really enjoying the sight and the reviews I have 50 g of 800 milligrams of THC per gram rock-hard oil that I can melt down to start and used for my question is how do I convert it to butter and use it in other infused products I guess what I really need to know is what is the best recipe to use this with so that I can end up with 20 mg gummies?
The Cannabis oil potency calculator is completely rubbish – “table spoon” of this and “cup” of that – that is so stupid it beggars belief ! please upgrade your calculator to keep consistent metric measurements (millilitres and milligrams, etc). sorry to be so blunt but you need told straight up !!
Hi Frankie, as of right now most of our audience is from the United States. For this reason, we use the imperial system for most of our measurements. We would like to keep it consistent however mg's are a measure of weight and I'm not sure it would be very helpful for our readers to know how many Lbs of THC are in their cannabis oil. We appreciate the criticism and we will work towards having adjustable calculators in the future. Have a great day! 🙂
Hi there, I was given at least a pound of B.C high quality shake, I'm just wondering how I would treat it in these circumstances. I want to make an oil for gummy bear!
Hi Chris, you will not need to use anywhere near a pound to make cannabis gummy bears. The amount you would use will depend on the percentage of THC in your cannabis and how potent you would like to make the gummies. If you can figure out the potency of your cannabis, play around with the calculator until you find a potency you'd like for the gummies. Have a good day 🙂
going to make cannabis oil with liquid coconut oil. will use one cup each of oil and bud. you mentioned you can get rid of the cannabis taste, as I am using it by teaspoon at night for sleep, what would you use to change the taste
I was wondering dose cooking it at a low temp for longer hours make it stronger? I have a yedi. I can cook in in a vaccum sealed bag at 130 or lower or up too 203. It also have a fan so the water moves so it self steer. I used it befor and works. Just wondering is low and longer makes it stronger.
Hi Joseph, I'm not sure cooking at low temperatures over a longer duration would have that effect. The cannabis only has so much THC in it, cooking for a longer duration is not going to add more. So when you're cooking cannabis, all you're trying to do is optimize the amount of THC you convert to THC-A & minimize the amount of cannabinoids that are burnt off.
I’m making this. Decarboxylated and now using small saucepan w ground weed in cheese cloth. You can’t completely submerge this amount of ground weed in this amount of melted coconut oil (1 cup each). What should I do?
Hi Glory, you can add more coconut oil. However, it will be less potent as you add more coconut oil.
Add a comment
This will be publicly visible.
Your email address will not be published.
Your comment will be reviewed by the admin before it is published.
