If you're someone who needs a little TLC in the form of edible THC or CBD, you've come to the right place. In this step-by-step post, I'll show you how easy (and odor-free) it is to make Cannaoil or Cannabutter in the Instant Pot. Do your lungs and pocketbook a favor and join me!
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A Note On THC
Please note that cannabis is not yet legal in most states, so you'll need to consult local regulations before proceeding with this recipe. Even CBD is outlawed in 4 states, so proceed with caution!
Perhaps it's my upbringing, but I'm of the opinion that cannabis should be legalized at the federal level. Doing so would:
- free roughly 40,000 non-violent offenders (a disproportionate number of whom are people of color),
- free up police resources for more pressing issues (like domestic abuse or gun violence),
- rake in taxes for supporting public programs like healthcare, public education, or paid parental leave (as just a few examples),
- provide an alternative to harmful prescription drugs like OxyContin,
- and offer so many more benefits that are too numerous to list here.
If you're visiting this page, it's likely that I'm just preaching to the choir here. And, it seems like we're moving in the right direction — as of the publication of this article, 18 states have fully legalized weed with another 21 either decriminalizing it or allowing it for medical purposes (or both).
We've also entered a weird legal limbo where Delta 8 and Delta 9 THC are not illegal in most states, including here in Tennessee where only CBD oil is allowed. So, apparently, chemically extracting compounds from a plant is fine, but the actual plant isn't? I can't say it makes good sense, but I'm at least grateful for some movement in the right direction.
But even though I can get Delta 9 Gummies delivered to my doorstep, the cost is quite steep — a single one of these legal THC gummies costs over $2.50 a pop! As a thrifty shopper on a tight grocery budget, that simply isn't sustainable over the long term.
About This Recipe
When I first set out to make my own edibles, the Instant Pot wasn't yet on my radar. As a result, my only option was to use either a crockpot or my oven to make my cannaoil or cannabutter, which was an odiferous and lengthy process, to say the least.
The process of making cannabutter requires a step known as decarboxylation. This means heating the flower enough to eliminate an acidic molecule to "activate" either the THC or CBD compounds so they can bind to the receptors in your body.
As anyone who has ever been to a live concert can attest, hot cannabis flower creates smells we associate with hippies and potheads. Decarbing the flower on a cookie sheet in the oven takes about 45 minutes, and then infusing the oil takes another 5 or so hours.
Friends, that's a whole lotta skunky smells to deal with. As you can imagine, this is less than ideal if you live in apartment or condo building with shared walls — especially as a young 20-something trying to make it in the professional world.
Luckily, I've learned the best, easiest method for decarbing flower and infusing oil or butter with it is by using the Instant Pot! The whole process takes place in a sealed mason jar, minimizing the odors caused in the process. Cooking it under pressure also reduces the amount of time it takes to actually infuse the fat.
So, are you ready to learn the best way to make cannabutter? Let's dive in!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This easy method for making cannabutter requires just two ingredients. Here are some notes to keep in mind:
- Cannabis Flower - In order to make cannabutter (or cannaoil), you're going to need some herb to get started. Feel free to use either CBD or THC flower here, the process is the same either way. You can use indica, sativa, or hybrid breeds. Also, make sure you speak with your flower provider to get an idea of how potent your batch will be. If you at least have the name of the strain you are getting, you can look up the details online.
- Oil Or Fat Of Choice - When I make cannabutter, I generally opt to use coconut oil because it has enough saturated fat to solidify at room temp which makes it great for baking. Coconut oil also has a high smoke point, which means it can also be used for cooking. If you're feeling more health conscious or would prefer to use your batch for something lighter (like a salad dressing), I'd suggest opting for a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like grapeseed or avocado oil.
How To Make Instant Pot Cannabutter
While you can certainly buy pre-made CBD oil or cannabutter at dispensaries, it's super easy to do at home with the Instant Pot. And again, it's usually cheaper than buying the store-bought stuff with the added benefit that you can control the strength of the batch to your liking.
This recipe for CBD oil can be scaled for whatever size batch you're working with. Below, I'm working with ¼ ounce of flower (~7 grams) and ½ cup of coconut oil.
Making the CBD oil is a two-step process. The first step, decarboxylation, makes the cannabidiols (CBD or THC) bioavailable. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. The second step in infusing the oil, which is sort of like making tea. Read on to learn how!
Step 1: Decarb The Flower
Take your flower and grind it into a fluffy state, but not so small that it's powder. I use my spice grinder to shorten this process, but one of those hand held grinders will absolutely work.
Place the grinds into a small, clean mason jar and firmly attach the lid.
Place trivet in the bottom of your Instant Pot, and place the mason jar on top. Pour in enough water to cover roughly half of the jar.
Secure the lid, set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. Do a quick release, being sure to avoid the scorching hot steam as it escapes.
Step 2: Infuse The Oil
Now that your flower is decarboxylated, it's ready to make oil. Measure out oil (or butter) of choice into a small mason jar.
Carefully remove the jar you used for decarbing the flower from the Instant Pot. Using either a mesh tea steeper or a piece of cheesecloth, secure the flower and add it to the container with the oil. NOTE: Decarbed flower is going to look a few shades darker than prior to this process. Don't fret, that's normal.
Secure the lid on the jar with your oil and flower. Place it back into the Instant Pot, again looking for the water to cover about half of the jar.
Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and set to pressure cook on high for 20 minutes. Allow to naturally release for 40 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
Carefully remove the jar from the Instant Pot and allow to cool enough to handle. Remove the lid, then remove your flower. Squeeze any oil that has seeped into the cloth or flower back into the jar, then discard the flower. If necessary, add more oil to the jar to get the amount you need for your recipe.
TIP: Cheesecloth is compostable, so once you squeeze all the good stuff out, you can chuck the whole package into your compost.
How To Use Cannabutter
Once made, you can use your homemade Instant Pot cannabutter straightaway, or pop the lid on and refrigerate or freeze it to use another day. From what I can tell, it will keep for several months in the fridge with no detectable degradation of potency or quality.
Your cannaoil or cannabutter can be used in literally any recipe that calls for either oil or butter, meaning you can add a little bit of chill to everything from your bulletproof coffee to salad and steaks, cookies and gummies to mashed cauliflower.
Please note that you will want to choose the type of fat you use based on the recipes you want to use it in. Butter, vegan butter, or coconut oil are good choices for baking or high heat cooking (as well as for making my homemade gummies); oils like grapeseed, avocado, or peanut oil would be better for salad dressings, certain cakes, and such.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you purchase CBD (or THC) flower from a dispensary, there will be several strains available to you, each with varying levels of potency. Look for the percentage of THC or CBD associated with the strain you choose. My recipe calls for ¼ oz (or ~7g) of flower for the batch.
The numbers you will need to calculate the dosage of your gummies are: percentage of CBD (THC) in your strain, amount (in ounces or grams) of flower used in your batch, and the number of servings you end up with. Please note that you'll need to adjust your calculations if you only use a partial batch of the cannabutter.
While you can certainly go about reverse engineering the dosage yourself from here, there are several calculators out there to help you do the job. I happen to like this one.
Sure! Simply increase the amount of flower you use, or opt for a more potent strain of flower. If you want to dilute the batch, simply add more oil or butter to the mix.
It kind of depends on the application you're planning on using it for. Generally speaking, I reach for unrefined organic coconut oil because it's pretty dang versatile in terms of making sweets (my preferred application). I can use it for anything from gummies to brownies, rice krispy treats to cookies, and can easily make the batch vegan so more of my friends can join in.
That said, if you want something to use in a more savory setting - say, salad dressing - I might opt for olive oil or grapeseed oil instead. If you want to make baked goods the more old fashioned way, butter or vegan butter can work, too.
More DIY Recipes
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Cannaoil or Cannabutter in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- ¼ oz CBD or THC Flower
- ½ Cup Coconut Oil or sub oil of choice, see Notes
Instructions
- Take your flower and grind it into a fluffy state, but not so small that it's powder. I use my spice grinder to shorten this process, but one of those hand held grinders will absolutely work.Place the grinds into a small, clean mason jar and firmly attach the lid.Place trivet in the bottom of your Instant Pot, and place the mason jar on top. Pour in enough water to cover roughly half of the jar.Secure the lid, set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. Do a quick release, being sure to avoid the scorching hot steam as it escapes.
- Now that your flower is decarboxylated, it's ready to make oil. Measure out oil (or butter) of choice into a small mason jar.Carefully remove the jar you used for decarbing the flower from the Instant Pot. Using either a mesh tea steeper or a piece of cheesecloth, secure the flower and add it to the container with the oil. NOTE: Decarbed flower is going to look a few shades darker than prior to this process. Don't fret, that's normal.Secure the lid on the jar with your oil and flower. Place it back into the Instant Pot, again looking for the water to cover about half of the jar.Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and set to pressure cook on high for 20 minutes. Allow to naturally release for 40 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.Carefully remove the jar from the Instant Pot and allow to cool enough to handle. Remove the lid, then remove your flower. Squeeze any oil that has seeped into the cloth or flower back into the jar, then discard the flower. If necessary, add more oil to the jar to get the amount you need for your recipe.
Notes
- What is the best kind of oil for making cannabutter? It kind of depends on the application you're planning on using it for. Generally speaking, I reach for unrefined organic coconut oil because it's pretty dang versatile in terms of making sweets (my preferred application). I can use it for anything from gummies to brownies, rice krispy treats to cookies, and can easily make the batch vegan.
That said, if you want something to use in a more savory setting - say, salad dressing - I might opt for olive oil or grapeseed oil instead. If you want to make baked goods the more old fashioned way, butter or vegan butter can work, too.
- How long does cannabutter last? From what I can tell, cannaoil or cannabutter can last in a clean container in the fridge or freezer for several months without any detectable change in quality or potency.
- How do I calculate the potency of my batch? When you purchase CBD (or THC) flower from a dispensary, there will be several strains available to you, each with varying levels of potency. Look for the percentage of THC or CBD associated with the strain you choose. My recipe calls for ¼ oz (or ~7g) of flower for the batch.
The numbers you will need to calculate the dosage of your gummies are: percentage of CBD (THC) in your strain, amount (in ounces or grams) of flower used in your batch, and the number of servings you end up with. Please note that you'll need to adjust your calculations if you only use a partial batch of the cannabutter.
While you can certainly go about reverse engineering the dosage yourself from here, there are several calculators out there to help you do the job. I happen to like this one.
- Can I make my batch more or less potent? Sure! Simply increase the amount of flower you use, or opt for a more potent strain of flower. If you want to dilute the batch, simply add more oil or butter to the mix.
Gina says
Hello! I have not been able to find cheese clothe or similar where I live (in Mexico). Any reason to not infuse the flower directly IN the oil, then strain through a sieve after? (Hmmmm…..I may not be able to grind it as fine, and that might impact potency?? What do you think?)
Ash, The Grocery Addict says
Hey Gina!
I think that should totally work. If you want to keep the grind nice and fine, maybe line the mesh sieve with a paper towel to help catch the bits? Let me know how it works out!
OG says
when i finished decarbonizing step open instant pot and jar was laying down and the weed is all wet and am not sure when it fell down so not sure it got completed, can I dry it and decarb it again or should I just dry it and add the oil
Ash, The Grocery Addict says
I think you should be okay to just let it dry out and then make the oil. The heating process is already complete, so the good stuff should be available to bond with the oil. Let me know how it turns out?
Also, for the future, try using a smaller mason jar during the decarb process to keep it from tipping over. Sometimes if you use one that is too big, there's too much air, causing it to become buoyant and become a tipping hazard. You can also tighten the lid a bit more to keep water from rushing in in case it does tip.
Ashley says
With the instant pot You can also use the trivet that sits in the bottom so you can sit that mason jar in the center and it doesn’t move. 4c water, weed in mason jar with lid only on finger tight. Manual, more setting, 40 min and your mmj is decarbed in more than half the time
Ashley says
I have a question about when you make your oil, if you need more but don’t have any more mj can you reuse your previous amount?
Ash, The Grocery Addict says
I'm honestly not sure how much of the good stuff would be left in the previous amount, as most of it will have hopefully been extracted. That said, it's definitely worth a shot! I'd imagine you could get some out — like the second steep from a teabag, it'll be weaker, but may still have some pizzazz. Let me know if you try!