Contents
Find out how much cannabis you need per stick of butter to make your favorite recipes.
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Introduction
Cannabis has been used in baking and cooking for centuries, with the earliest references dating back to India in the 5th century. In recent years, as more states have legalized cannabis for medical and recreational use, “edibles” (foods and drinks containing cannabis) have become increasingly popular.
One of the most common ways to make edibles is to infuse butter or oil with cannabis. This can be done using either fresh cannabis buds or leaves, or by using concentrated extracts such as hash oil or cannabutter.
The amount of cannabis you need to infuse 1 stick (½ cup) of butter will depend on a number of factors, including the potency of the cannabis you are using and your personal preferences. In general, you should expect to use between 1-2 ounces of cannabis per stick of butter.
If you are using fresh cannabis buds, you will need to grind them into a fine powder before infusing them into the butter. One ounce of fresh bud will yield about 3-4 grams of powder.
If you are using hash oil or cannabutter, the concentration of THC will be much higher and you will only need to use a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) per stick of butter.
The Process of Making Cannabutter
Cannabutter is cannabis-infused butter. Decarboxylation is the first and most important step in making cannabutter. This is what activates the THC in the plant and makes it psychoactive. The process of decarboxylation can be done in a number of ways, but the most common is to bake your ground cannabis in the oven at 240 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes.
Once your cannabis is decarboxylated, it’s time to infuse it into some butter. This can be done a number of ways, but the most common is to simmer your butter and cannabis together on the stovetop for 2-3 hours. Be sure to stir often and do not let the mixture come to a boil, as this will scorch your cannabinoids and make them less potent.
Once your cannabutter is finished, you can use it just like regular butter in any recipe. Keep in mind that the THC content of your final product will depend on a number of factors, including the potency of your starting material, how long you cooked it for, and how much butter you used. A general rule of thumb is that 1 gram of flower will yield approximately 1 tablespoon of cannabutter with 10-15% THC.
How Much Cannabis to Use in Cannabutter
It really depends on how potent you want your cannabutter to be and how much butter you’re using. A good rule of thumb is to start with one gram of cannabis for every stick (½ cup) of butter.
Determining the THC Percentage of Your Cannabis
In order to make an accurate estimation of how much cannabis to use in your cannabutter, you need to know the THC percentage of the weed you’re working with. Most commercial strains these days average around 10-15% THC, but home growers can end up with much more potent strains, sometimes as high as 30-35% THC. Use this chart as a rough guide to determine how much cannabis you need to use in your cannabutter recipe.
*1 gram of cannabis = 1,000mg (1,000,000mcg)*
| THC Percentage | Low | Medium | High |
| ————- |:————-:|:————-:| —--:|
| 0.5% (5mg/g) | 2grams | 1gram | 0.5grams |
| 1% (10mg/g) | 1grams | 0.5grams | 0.25grams |
| 2% (20mg/g) | 0.5grams | 0.25grams | 0.125grams |
| 5% (50mg/g) | 0.2grams | 0.1grams | 0.05grams ||
The THC Percentage of Common Cannabis Strains
The THC percentage of common cannabis strains can vary widely, from as little as 5% to as much as 30%. The amount of THC in a particular strain is determined by its genetics, growing conditions, and the process used to extract the cannabinoids from the plant material.
When making cannabutter, it is important to know the THC percentage of the cannabis you are using. This will help you determine how much cannabis to use in order to achieve your desired effect. For example, if you are using a strain with 20% THC and you want to make a batch of cannabutter with 10 mg of THC per serving, you would need to use 0.5 grams (500 mg) of cannabis per stick of butter.
The following table shows the THC percentage of some common cannabis strains:
| Strain | THC Percentage |
| — | — |
| Girl Scout Cookies | 28% |
| Green Crack | 25% |
| OG Kush | 23% |
| Granddaddy Purple | 23% |
| Sour Diesel | 22% |
| Blue Dream | 21% |
| Pineapple Express | 20%
Conclusion
There is no need to calculate the perfect ratio of cannabis to butter. You can tailor the amount of cannabutter you use according to your needs. If you want a very potent product, use more cannabis. If you want a milder product, use less. Start with whatever amount feels comfortable for you, and go from there.
