Wondering how to make cannabis oil?

As cannabis edibles prove themselves to be the safer alternative to vaping and smoking, cannabis enthusiasts are turning towards the direction of edibles en masse, and learning how to make cannabis oil in order to make potent cannabis edibles is a paramount piece of knowledge.

Cannabis edibles are known to be great relievers of pain and inflammation and have great efficiency in terms of their potency. Time and time again, edibles take the cake when it comes to safety and employability. They give you the ability to control dosage and won’t run the risk of causing any lung damage.

That said, having the freedom to create whatever type of edible you want opens up many creative options to consume your cannabis in a deliciously safe and controlled manner. 

So that’s what we’re going to be doing, showing you how to make your own cannabis oil so you can incorporate it in your snacks and meals!

So What is Cannabis Oil?

how to make weed oil guide

If you didn’t already know, cannabinoids are fat-soluble with most edibles using a carrier fat such as coconut oil to carry the cannabinoids. 

Cannabis oil is basically an edible oil that has been infused with cannabinoids like THC and CBD to provide marijuana’s therapeutic effects.

Cannaoil or cannabis oil is the backbone of the several types of edibles you have on the market today. Keeping that in mind, cannabis-infused cooking oils can be used to make almost any type of cannabis-infused dish or snack. The oils can be used to make baked goods such as cookies or brownies or even more savory dishes like infused mashed potatoes!

Is There a Difference Between Cannabis Oil and Canna-Butter?

Not really, both are fats infused with cannabis. The concept is the same, with the main difference being that cannabis oils are usually made with coconut oil, MCT oil, or olive oil while canna-butter is what you would expect from its name; Butter infused with cannabis.

Cannabis-infused cooking oils and butters are basically extremely versatile vehicles for your cannabinoids to be incorporated into your foods. So without any further delay, let’s move on to figuring out how to make your own cannabis-infused oils and butters at home!

How to Make Cannabis Oil at Home

Before we get started, it’s important to understand that the quality of your starting ingredients will dictate the quality of your finished product. 

The cannabis-infused oil you are making can only be as good as the weed used to make it. So if you want a higher quality product, you’ll need to use higher quality bud.

The cooking oil chosen will also play a large role in determining the potency of the oil, the flavor, and how effectively the cannabinoids in the bud can get absorbed by your body. One of the best types of fats to infuse cannabis with is coconut oil or MCT oil, as they are both tasteless and odorless, and tend to go hand-in-hand with cannabis. If you can’t find any coconut or MCT oil, olive works just as well.

There are three main routes you could go when making cannabis-infused cooking oils at home. Keep in mind each of them has their own pros and cons as well as cook times.

Using a Sauce Pan: Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours and 10 minutes

Using a Slow Cooker: Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 6 hours | Total Time: 6 hours and 10 minutes

Using a Double Boiler: Prep Time 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 8 hours | Total Time: 8 hours and 10 minutes

The Equipment You Will Need

  • A strainer
  • A grinder
  • Cooking equipment based on your method (Saucepan, slow cooker, or double boiler)
  • A cup of ground cannabis flower (adjust according to the desired potency)
  • A cup of coconut oil, olive oil, or MCT oil

Step 1: Grind Your Weed

First thing’s first, grind your cannabis with your grinder, ensuring that you don’t overdo it as you’ll want to make sure that the strainer can catch all of the plant matter in the oil. So grind your weed, but avoid grinding it into a fine dust.

Don’t have a grinder? Here are 5 foolproof ways to grind your weed without one!

Step 2: Decarboxylate Your Weed

When it comes to making cannabis edibles, decarboxylation is an essential step to making an effective product, and canna oil is no exception. Decarboxylation activates the cannabinoids in the cannabis so they can achieve their psychoactive effects when ingested. 

When decarboxylating cannabis it’s important to make sure that cooking temperatures do not breach 245 °F or 118 °C as moving past this point will result in burnt weed and a loss of valuable terpenes.

Decarboxylation sounds hard but it isn’t as complicated as you might think – here’s how you can best “activate” weed!

Start by mixing your cup of ground cannabis with your cup or cooking oil in your saucepan, slow cooker, or double boiler. For each of the three methods, you’ll want to cook your cannabis and oil on a low heat.

Double Boiler: If you’re using a double boiler, simply mix the oil and cannabis together and cook on a low heat for 8 hours, occasionally checking the mixture.

Slow Cooker: If you’re using a slow cooker, you’ll want to cook the cannabis and oil together on a low heat for 4-6 hours, occasionally stirring the mixture.

Saucepan: If you’re using a saucepan, this method will require a bit more attention to detail as your cannabis and oil will have a higher chance to burn. That said, this is by far the fastest method, taking only 3 hours on low heat to make the oil. You’ll want to check up on your mixture and stir it more frequently with this method.

Tip: If you want to avoid burning your mixture, you can always add water as a buffer to prevent this.

Step 3: Strain Your Weed

Last but not least, you’ll want to get rid of all of those dry leaves in your now infused canna oil. Using your strainer, pour the mixture through it into a large enough container. You’ll want to make sure you don’t miss any particles, so you may have to strain your oil more than once.

Once you have your filtered oil, store it in an air-tight container and keep it in an area away from light and heat. You can also refrigerate it to increase its shelf life.

Want to learn how to use cannabis oil? Check out our simple guide here!

Concluding Thoughts

There you have it! Your very own recipe for making canna oil or canna butter at home! We hope this article was able to give you some insight into the process behind this extraction method.

Remember, for the best canna oils, you’ll want to use the best bud you have available! You can use your canna oil to make a variety of different medicated meals and snacks, whether it be medicated brownies, or medicated wings!

And if you’re not too keen on having your house smell like a grow house, options such as this 300mg of THC infused olive oil make great substitutes.

100% fair-trade organic, this THC infused olive oil is perfect for salad dressings, dips and everyday infused kitchen creations. With 15mg of THC per teaspoon, you can make every meal into a medicated one.

As always, happy trails and practice safe dosing!