There’s nothing like a good edible. Whether it be a sour gummy, a brownie, or an infused soda, edibles will always have a special place in my heart.
This being said, sometimes store bought goods just don’t hit the same as a homemade treat, y’know? What if I am feeling a more savory edible, like a cannabutter grilled cheese? When it comes to more complex edible ideas and baked goods, I’ve found it best to take matters into my own hands!
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to prepare cannabutter for your next edible concoction, read on for all the details. All you really need is an instant pot, butter, and your cannabis flower. P.S. You can also use oil.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
When I first discovered this method, I was awestruck! Decarbing AND diffusing in the same instant pot? Amazing.
The convenience factor of this recipe is unmatched, and just so simple to follow. Using the instant pot also significantly decreases the odor produced throughout the deoxycarbolation process, which I know could be a major perk for some.
You pretty much just pop in your flower, then go about your day as it decarbs. Once it’s done, you throw some butter in there, set it to slow cook, and get back to whatever you were doing before.
There’s also so much wiggle room here for customization: you can try out different oils, different cannabis strains, and play around with potency levels!
How To Determine Dosing
Before we dive into the step-by-step here, I think it’s important you know how to dose your butter. Although you can get incredibly technical for this aspect and find the exact mg of THC in your bud, we’re gonna go for a more generalized approach.
To make some solid, hard-hitting butter, see our guide below for how much flower vs. how much butter to use in your cannabutter mixture. If you’re feeling bold, double the flower!
- 1 Ounce: Use 4 sticks of butter
- ¾ Ounce: Use 3 sticks of butter
- ½ Ounce: Use 2 sticks of butter
- ¼ Ounce: Use 1 stick of butter
- ⅛ Ounce: Use ½ stick of butter
If you do want to know the exact amount of THC in your cannabutter, here’s how. Let’s say you have an ounce and it’s 20% THC by volume. You’re going to take the weight (28 grams) and multiply that by the THC percentage (.2). In this scenario, you’re going to have 5.6 grams, or 5,600 mg, of THC.
Whether you’re going for a ballpark range approach, or a very technical approach, now you know how to dose your edibles! With this being said, let’s move on to the ingredients.
Already inspired? Get your mouth watering with this curated assortment of edible recipes!
Gather Your Ingredients
This is a very simple recipe, so the ingredients list won’t be too long. If you’re unsure about the quantities you’d like to use, just refer to the above section about dosing your cannabutter.
- Instant pot
- Cannabis flower
- Butter (or oil)
- Mason jar
- Cheesecloth (or french press)
- Glass jar or container
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Place your cannabis flower into a mason jar and tighten the lid. It is up to you whether you opt for grinding it, or just breaking it up into small, popcorn-sized pieces.
Step 2: Place the jar onto the trivet, or into the steamer basket, then, place the trivet or basket into the instant pot.
Step 3: Add 4 cups of water to the instant pot.
Step 4: Secure the lid and set the instant pot to cook at high pressure for 40 minutes.
Step 5: After 40 minutes, slowly release the pressure and open your instant pot.
Step 6: Remove the jar from your instant pot and set it aside to cool.
Step 7: Once the jar of cannabis has cooled, add your desired amount of butter to it and close the lid.
Step 8: Place the jar back into the trivet or steamer basket, then lower it into the water bath again.
Step 9: Select Slow Cook – LOW and set it for 4 hours.
Step 10: While your butter is infusing, set up your straining area. You will need a cheesecloth to separate the plant matter from the liquid butter, as well as a glass jar or container to catch the strained liquid.
Step 11: Once the 4 hours has passed, take the mason jar out of the instant pot and allow it to cool off enough to where you can safely and comfortably handle it.
Step 12: Strain the cannabutter mixture with your method of choice, and collect the liquid in your chosen glass container.
Step 13: Place the container into the refrigerator and allow it to solidify. You may need to drain off some milk solids at the end of the process.
Step 14: Enjoy your cannabutter and cook away!
Storage
Store the cannabutter in your airtight container, refrigerated, until the expiration date found on the original butter’s packaging. That’s all there is to it! You can even opt to store it for longer in the freezer.
If you do decide to freeze your butter, make sure not to use your microwave to thaw it out, as that could potentially destroy some of the cannabinoids.
In addition, if you decided to use oil instead of butter, that can be stored at room temperature for several months.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Ready to get baking? Fear not, you can use cannabutter in any tasty treats that require high-temperatures without sacrificing potency.
- Not sure what to make? Check out this Pinterest board we made to help inspire new edible recipes!
- You can up the potency of your butter by adding in some decarbed kief or concentrates!
- When using butter, note that you’ll have a little less butter in the end than what you started with. This is because you’ll be removing the milk solids and evaporating excess water.
- If you opt to use ghee or clarified butter, you won’t have to separate the milk solids at the end.
- Feel free to play around with potency levels and different strains: our ratio of flower to butter is just a guide to start you off!
- If you only want to decarb your weed, you can stop there and use it to make tinctures, topicals, and other canna-creations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I don’t have an instant pot?
- Good news: you can use a crockpot, stovetop, or even a fancy infusion machine to make cannabutter.
How much should I consume in one sitting?
- Well, this is up to you, but we’d recommend starting at a 5mg dose of THC if you’re a newbie or have a low tolerance. If you went for a ballpark approach dosage wise, I would say just start out with a thin slice about the size of a quarter, and go from there! For the psychonauts out there, just do what feels right.
What if my cannabutter is too weak or too strong?
- This one’s a pretty easy fix. You can simply adjust the amount you consume! If it’s too weak, just have that second brownie and add more flower next time. If it’s too strong, just cut that brownie in half and call it a day.
What oils can I substitute for butter?
- If you choose to go the oil route, you have many options. Coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and hempseed oil will all do the trick, as well as other options.
How long will it last in the fridge?
- As we mentioned before, just check the date on the butter you used to find out how long your cannabutter will last. You can opt to put it in the freezer for longer storage, but remember: no microwaving!
In Summary
Well, there we have it. You now know the most convenient way to kick-start your edible creations! This method is a personal favorite of mine: it’s just so easy. Plus, cannabutter is so versatile in terms of the amount of things you can make with it.
Now go forth and create your edibles, maybe even cook up your own recipe! Who knows, you might just make the official High Yields Pinterest board…
