Learning how to make cannabutter comes down to three stages: decarb your cannabis in a low oven, steep it gently in butter for a few hours, then strain out the plant material. Most batches go wrong in one of three ways: the decarb gets skipped, the heat climbs too high or the strength is a guess. This guide walks through each stage, a simple recipe, the math for estimating THC per tablespoon, and how to cook with, store and label what you make.
What cannabutter is, and why fat carries THC
Cannabutter is butter infused with cannabis. It works because THC barely dissolves in water but mixes readily into fats and oils. During a long, gentle steep, the butterfat pulls cannabinoids out of the plant. Once infused, the butter carries THC into anything you bake or cook with it, which is exactly why measuring matters.
Choosing your cannabis: flower, trim or shake
Butter doesn't need top-shelf buds. Smaller buds and shake work well, since you're extracting cannabinoids rather than smoking the flower; our guide to buds, shake and popcorn nugs explains the differences. Trim, the small leaves cut away from the buds, carries less resin, so the same weight makes milder butter.
Two numbers matter most:
- THC percentage. Note it from the label so you can estimate strength later.
- Quantity. For a first batch, about 3.5 grams per cup of butter keeps things manageable. You can always go stronger next time.
Pick up flower from your store's online menu, and ask our budtenders about THC levels and value options.
Choosing your butter: salted, unsalted, clarified or ghee
- Unsalted butter leaves the seasoning up to you, which helps in baking.
- Salted butter is fine for savory cooking.
- Clarified butter or ghee has had its milk solids removed, so it's less likely to scorch at the same heat.
Regular butter holds water and milk solids along with its fat. Adding a cup of water to the pot keeps the temperature from creeping too high, and the water separates out once the butter chills.
Step one: decarboxylation
Raw flower is mostly THCA, which needs heat to turn into THC. Can you skip this step? You can, but expect weaker, less predictable butter. In lab tests on cannabis extracts, conversion still wasn't complete after an hour at temperatures under about 212°F (100°C), the range a butter infusion stays in. At 230°F (110°C), THCA had nearly disappeared within about 30 minutes.
At home, break the flower into small pieces, spread it on a parchment-lined tray and bake it for 30 to 45 minutes at about 240°F, until it looks golden and dry. Our decarboxylation guide covers the details and other methods.
Methods compared: stovetop, slow cooker, double boiler and infuser
| Method | Setup | Best when | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stovetop with water | Butter, water and decarbed flower on the lowest burner setting | You want simple, with no special gear | Stir often, and don't let the water cook off |
| Slow cooker | The same mix on low, lid on | You'd like to walk away for a while | Some cookers run hot, so check with a thermometer |
| Double boiler | A bowl set over barely simmering water | You want gentle, even heat | Top up the water as it evaporates |
| Countertop infuser | An appliance that heats and stirs at a set temperature | You want low effort and less smell | It costs more; follow the maker's directions |
Whichever you choose, keep the mixture between about 160 and 200°F, steaming but never boiling, for two to three hours.
How to make cannabutter: the recipe at a glance
The recipe card below lists the ingredients and steps. Before you start, gather a baking sheet, parchment, a saucepan or slow cooker, cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer, a heat-safe bowl and a kitchen thermometer.
Dosing and safety: estimating mg per tablespoon
Homemade butter varies, so read every number as a ceiling and an estimate. Here's the math:
- THC in your flower: take the weight in grams, times 1,000, times the THC percentage (20% becomes 0.20). For 3.5 grams at 20% THC: 3.5 × 1,000 × 0.20 = 700 mg.
- Per tablespoon: a cup of butter holds 16 tablespoons, so 700 ÷ 16 ≈ 44 mg per tablespoon at most.
- Per teaspoon: a tablespoon is 3 teaspoons, so about 15 mg per teaspoon at most.
Real numbers come in lower. Some THC is lost to heat, some stays in the strained plant material, and butter doesn't always mix evenly. For scale, Michigan won't let a licensed adult-use edible exceed 10 mg of THC in a single serving. If a recipe uses 4 tablespoons of this butter across 16 brownies, each one holds about 11 mg at most; swap plain butter in for part of it to go milder.
Test a quarter or half portion first, then give it at least two hours, because an edible can be that slow to show its effects. Only serve infused food to adults 21 and older who know exactly what they're eating. Our THC dosage guide explains starting amounts in more detail.
Cooking with it: baking, savory dishes and spreads
- Baking: use cannabutter for some or all of the butter in brownies, cookies or bars, and mix the batter thoroughly so it spreads evenly.
- Savory dishes: stir a measured pat into pasta, rice or vegetables off the heat. Long, high heat can break THC down, so add it at the end.
- Spreads: measured cannabutter on toast or a warm biscuit is easy to portion.
Measure with spoons every time. For dressings and sautés, canna oil can be easier to work with.
Storage and labeling
- Label it. Write what it is, the date and your estimated mg per tablespoon on the container.
- Fridge: keep it sealed and use it within 4 days, the limit the CDC sets for homemade oils made with herbs; we apply the same caution to infused butter.
- Freezer: freeze small portions for longer storage. Food held at a constant 0°F is always safe to eat, though its quality fades over time.
- Keep it in your kitchen. Michigan's law allows adults to give cannabis to another adult 21 or older, but only as a true gift, with nothing given back in exchange. Homemade butter, and anything baked with it, isn't for selling or trading.
- Out of reach: store it where kids and pets can't get to it, and never next to your regular butter.
That last point matters. U.S. poison centers logged 207 edible cannabis exposures in children younger than 6 in 2017. By 2021 the yearly count had reached 3,054, and almost all of those exposures happened at home. For pets, see our guide to cannabis and pet safety.
21+ only. Please consume responsibly.
