Every cannabis edible on Earth starts with the same thing: decarbed flower infused into fat. Master this one recipe and you can make anything — brownies, gummies, salad dressing, pasta sauce, coffee creamer.
Which fat to use
| Fat | Best for | Smoke point | Shelf life |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter | Baking, toast, sautéing | 350 °F | 2 weeks fridge, 6 months freezer |
| Coconut oil (refined) | Gummies, capsules, cooking | 400 °F | 2+ months fridge |
| Olive oil | Drizzling, dressings, pasta | 375 °F | 2 months dark pantry |
| MCT oil | Tincture-style dosing, capsules | N/A (don't cook) | 3+ months |
All work. Coconut oil extracts the most THC because of its high saturated fat content. Butter tastes best. Pick based on what you're cooking.
The ratio
7–10 grams of decarbed flower per 1 cup (8 oz) of fat. This produces a moderate-strength infusion — roughly 5–10 mg THC per tablespoon depending on your flower's potency.
- Lighter: 3–5g per cup — for microdosing or cooking where you'll use a lot of oil.
- Stronger: 14g per cup — for capsules or recipes that use very little fat.
Start with the standard ratio your first time. You can always use more per serving — you can't un-dose.
Step-by-step (stovetop method)
- Decarb your flower at 240 °F for 40–45 minutes (see the Edibles guide for detail).
- Combine decarbed flower and fat in a saucepan or double boiler.
- Heat on LOW — maintain 160–180 °F. Never let it boil or simmer hard.
- Stir occasionally for 2–3 hours. The fat will darken.
- Strain through cheesecloth into a jar. Squeeze gently — don't force plant material through.
- Cool and store. Butter solidifies in the fridge; oils stay liquid.
Don't skip the thermometer
The target is 160–180 °F. Below 150 °F extracts slowly. Above 200 °F degrades THC. A cheap candy thermometer or instant-read is worth it.
Slow-cooker method (easier, hands-off)
- Decarb flower as above.
- Add flower + fat + 1 cup water to a slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 4–6 hours, stirring once an hour.
- Strain through cheesecloth into a container.
- Refrigerate — the butter/oil solidifies on top, water sinks to the bottom. Discard the water.
The water pulls out chlorophyll and plant taste, giving you cleaner-tasting butter.
Straining tips
- Cheesecloth (doubled) is the standard. Rubber-band it over a mason jar mouth.
- Don't squeeze too hard — you'll push bitter chlorophyll through.
- Discard the spent plant material. It has almost no THC left.
Storage
- Fridge: 2 weeks for butter, 2 months for oils.
- Freezer: 6+ months for butter (wrap in silicone molds for portioned cubes).
- Label everything. Date, strain, ratio, estimated mg/tbsp.
Dosing your recipes
If your flower tested at 20% THC and you used 7g per cup:
- 7g = 7,000 mg × 0.20 = 1,400 mg THCA × 0.877 (decarb conversion) ≈ 1,228 mg THC in the cup
- 1 cup = 16 tablespoons → ~77 mg per tablespoon
- A brownie recipe using ½ cup butter = ~614 mg ÷ 12 brownies = ~51 mg per brownie
That's a strong dose. Most people are comfortable at 5–10 mg. Adjust the ratio or use less infused fat (mix with regular butter) to hit your target.
Common mistakes
- Grinding too fine — powder goes through the strainer and makes gritty, green, bitter edibles.
- Overheating — boiling destroys THC. Low and slow always.
- Not decarbing — the #1 reason edibles "don't work."
- Eating more because it hasn't hit yet — edibles take 45 min–2 hours to peak. Wait a full 2 hours before re-dosing.