How to Make Cannabis Cooking Oil

There are several ways to make cannabis cooking oil. There are also several kinds of oil. And, there are several uses for the oil. All of them provide some benefit of the THC and CBD properties of cannabis in a useful, non-irritating alternative to smoking.

Four easy ways to make cannabis cooking oil:

Whatever you choose to do, you should decarboxylate the cannabis so the THCA converts to THC before use. Preheat your oven to 220°F. Next, spread cannabis leaf trim, buds, and/or kief across a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of a cookie sheet. Bake it for 20 to 25 minutes and let it cool.

The process of heating the weed will change the THCA to THC, just as the smoking or dabbing process would. But, you also need to know the THC percentage in the strain you use to manage the dosing.

1.  First, fast, and easy: This quick and easy recipe produces canna-oil in 20 minutes, enough to last a year for most users.

You begin with 0.25 ounces of ground cured (decarboxylated) and 0.25 cup of extra virgin olive oil (more about other oils later). Combine them in a saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon over a simmer setting for 15 minutes. To avoid boiling the mixture, you must manage the stirring and temperature.

Once the mixture has cooled, line a fine strainer with cheesecloth. Pour the contents slowly through the strainer, using the wooden spoon to press the oil out of the mix and through the cheesecloth/strainer device. If the results still contain debris, you should repeat the straining process. Then, store your canna-oil in a tightly sealed glass container, either in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark place.

2.  Prepare and walk away: Using a slow cooker will take more time but less attention. Start with 2 cups of extra virgin oil in a standard slow cooker*; then, add up to 1.5-ounces of cured, ground, and decarboxylated cannabis in your favorite strain. (*The new speed cookers need some testing.)

You still must stir the cannabis into the oil in your slow cooker with the wooden spoon. The cannabis must be wet with the oil, mixed in, and not floating on top. Then, you set the heater on low and heat the product for three hours.

You’re going to let it cool for eight hours. And, you can repeat the cooking and cooling for a more potent outcome. Once you are satisfied, strain and store the canna-oil as described in the previous recipe.

3.  Go old-school: A slow-cooker will do the trick with a bit more work and attention. Begin by adding water to fill approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of the bottom part of a double boiler.

In the top part, you mix 1 ounce of cured, ground, and decarboxylated cannabis into 3 to 3.5 ounces of extra virgin olive oil. With the heat at a setting that brings the water to a slow boil, you stir the cannabis and oil at a simmering temperature.

You will keep things going for up to two hours while you check to stir and keep a watch that the simmering does not reach a boil. Once it’s ready, you strain and store it as before.

4.  Try the continental way: Using a French press to make your oil takes time and attention, but it may make you feel urbane and sophisticated. This approach adds a step to the front of the process.

You must soak and blanch your stash before you decarboxylate. You are asked to grind your 1/4 ounce of dry herb and soak for 24 to 48 hours in distilled water. You must also change the fluid twice daily to remove trash.

After the soak, you press the weed into a tea strainer and add it to the boiling water for five minutes. Then, you blanch it by placing the strainer into a bowl of ice water for one minute. Removing the cannabis from the strainer, squeeze out the water.

You decarboxylate the weed as before, but you must watch to be sure the moisture bakes out of the product. Once it is dried, things get a little complicated.

You must boil water to a simmer in a glass pot. Place a French press coffee maker in the middle and add 5 ounces of extra virgin olive oil. After mixing the cannabis into the oil, you position the press lid so that the press is just above the level of the oil and cannabis. The simmering water should reach just above the level of the press.

You let this apparatus simmer for four hours, checking frequently to confirm the water is level with the plunger. Only after four hours will you remove the French press from the boiling water. You can finally press the plunger to strain the oil. Pour the clean oil into a container for storage as before.

Are you missing anything?

Yes, but it depends on what sort of gourmand you are. Any of these recipes will give you oil fit for the kitchen and edible recipes. However, there are some things you might try.

For convenience, I have stuck with extra virgin olive oil, but the recipes also work with coconut oil. Virgin (unprocessed) coconut oil reportedly has more antioxidants and less bad cholesterol. But, extra virgin olive oil has less saturated fat and more good fats. That debate is far from over, but I am inclined to stick with the lightness of olive oil. It’s a taste I know, and most of my cooking recipes are built on it.

Red Palm Oil, Sesame Oil, Avocado Oil, and Walnut Oil are all options. But each has its distinct taste at the edge of your tongue. Each is aromatic, and those touches will appear in the cooking and may enrich or dilute the cannabis’s taste.

It also pays to learn more about oil infusion because, after trial and error, you want to predict your dosage and potency with some accuracy. Some will make better butter, dressings, baked goods, and more. But it takes some planning and process to capture the taste and strength you are after.