Cannabutter is the foundation of most homemade edibles. Brownies, cookies, savory dishes, anything where butter is in the recipe — swap in cannabutter and you've got a cannabis-infused version of the same thing. The recipe is simple; the math on dosing is where most people slip.
Ingredients
- 1/4 oz to 1 oz of flower — see "How much cannabis to use" below.
- 1 lb of unsalted butter (4 sticks).
- 2 cups of water.
- A small saucepan or double-boiler.
- Cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer.
- A storage container (mason jar works).
Step 1: Decarb the flower
Decarboxylation activates the THC. Without this step, the cannabis you cook is mostly THCA — which is _not_ psychoactive. To decarb:
1. Preheat the oven to 240°F.
2. Break the flower into small pieces (don't grind to powder).
3. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once at the 20-minute mark.
The flower will turn light brown and smell strongly cannabis-like. That's done.
Step 2: Simmer with butter
1. In a saucepan, combine the butter + 2 cups of water on low heat. The water prevents the butter from scorching.
2. Once the butter melts, add the decarbed flower.
3. Simmer uncovered, low heat, 2-3 hours. Stir every 20 minutes.
You're looking for a slow infusion — not a boil. The mixture should never bubble aggressively. Low and slow is the rule.
Step 3: Strain + cool
1. Pour the hot butter mix through cheesecloth or a fine strainer into a storage container.
2. Discard the spent flower (or compost it).
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The water sinks to the bottom; the cannabutter floats and solidifies on top.
4. Lift the butter disc off, drain the water, store in the fridge.
Cannabutter keeps for 2-3 weeks in the fridge or 6+ months in the freezer.
How much cannabis to use
This is the part most recipes skip — and it's the part that matters. The general rule:
- High-THC flower (20%+): 1/4 to 1/2 oz per pound of butter
- Mid-grade flower (15-19%): 1/2 to 3/4 oz per pound
- Low-grade or shake (10-15%): 3/4 to 1 oz per pound
The dose math:
- 1 oz = 28 g = 28,000 mg
- A 20% THC flower contains 28,000 × 0.20 = 5,600 mg THC per oz (theoretical max)
- Real-world extraction efficiency is 50-70% with a home simmer
- So 1 oz of 20% flower → roughly 2,800-3,900 mg THC in the finished butter
- 1 lb of butter = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons
- A teaspoon of that butter ≈ 60-80 mg THC
That's strong. For a first batch, start with 1/4 oz of 20% flower per pound and test conservatively before scaling.
Testing your batch
The first time you use a new batch, eat 1/4 of a normal serving and wait 90 minutes before deciding. Edibles onset is slow (60-90 minutes), peak is 2-3 hours. Most overdose stories trace back to "I didn't feel anything so I ate more" — don't.
Storage + safety
- Label the container clearly. "Cannabutter — keep away from kids/pets."
- Store on the top shelf of the fridge, not in plain view.
- If you have kids in the house, lock it up. Edibles look like normal food.
What flower to use
Anything fresh enough to smoke also works for cannabutter. Older flower, shake, or trim works fine here too — the cooking process doesn't care if the buds are pretty. The flower section at Seattle Cannabis Co. carries singles, eighths, and ounce options; if you tell a budtender you're cooking, we'll point you at value-density options.