Your Guide to Making Cannabis-Infused Coconut Oil

Cannabis oil is trendy in both recreational and medicinal cannabis settings. Often characterized by its high potency, marijuana-infused oil can be used for conditions that need exceptionally high strength, such as cancer treatment. Critics of cannabis oil consider this marijuana addictive, primarily because of the tolerance build-up that occurs with frequent use.

Cannabis oil may be suitable for cancer treatment but should be monitored, similar to smoked marijuana, for adverse effects and potential drug abuse, though uncommon.

How can I use cannabis oil?

Cooking cannabis has become a massive trend among restaurant entrepreneurs, chefs, and recipe and food styling businesses. The Food Innovation Group, including top brands such as Bon Appetit and Epicurious, has featured many cannabis dishes, chefs, and restaurants in the past few years. The cannabis food industry will become more relevant as legal access grows. You can use it to marinate meats, sauté veggies, roast potatoes, make a salad dressing, and more.

Dosing it Out

An ideal dosage of cannabis oil can be tricky as many variables are involved. The best idea for beginner use is always to consume less than you believe you’ll need. Start with a low dose of about one teaspoon or dropper for your first batch and move up in increments, depending on the desired effects.

Don’t consume more oil immediately without knowing its relative power and tolerance. No matter what, wait about 1 to 2 days to increase the dosage after your first experience.

Unrefined vs. refined

Make sure to use organic oil. Coconut oil and olive oil are popular picks for a canna-oil base, but we suggest regular coconut oil for baking purposes. Vegetable oil is not an ideal option due to the low saturated fat content. Choose unrefined coconut oil if you enjoy a more robust coconut flavor, and opt for refined coconut oil if you’re looking for a lighter taste and plan to use it more for cooking or drizzling over food.

Infusion Facts

An ideal amount is to use about a quarter to a half ounce of cannabis plant material per one cup of liquid coconut oil. You can always use more or less, but this is a safe ratio to fall back on, especially when starting out.

Straining Tools

Cheesecloth (or coffee filters), a mesh strainer, gravity, and time are the ingredients to strain your infused oil properly. Please don’t squeeze the cloth at the risk of adding in excess plant matter.

What other supplies will I need?

To make infused weed oil, you’ll want to have the following supplies:

• one cup of coconut oil 
• seven to ten grams of cannabis buds
• Baking sheet
• Aluminum foil
• Mesh strainer
• Mason jar or airtight container
• Cheesecloth or coffee filters
• Medium saucepan (or crockpot)
• Food Scale

How to Make Coconut Cannaoil

Here, we offer a few essential steps to get you started with infusing coconut oil with cannabis.

Decarb

The cannabis plant is organically non-psychedelic. This plant material contains high amounts of cannabinoids such as THCAs and CBDA, which form a broad range of cannabinoid acids. To achieve the ‘high’ effect of marijuana, you will have to convert the cannabis through the decarb process.

Canna oil is primarily made by decarboxylating cannabis flower and can be made using various techniques for the infusion process. The cannabinoids within cannabis flowers are activated when they are decarboxylated or removed. You can place your desired amount of weed on a baking sheet and place it in the oven at 375 to decarb fast at home to make a potent oil.

Grind

If you have ground cannabis that is too fine, you’ll end up with a green, odd-tasting weed infused coconut oil. Using a hand grinder or coarse coffee grinder for optimum results is best.

Mix

Place your cannabis and coconut oil in a mason jar and stir gently. Replace the lid to the mason jar, and screw it on tight enough to prevent outside water intrusion, but not fully sealed during the infusion process. 

Simmer

Place the mason jar in room temperature water. You’ll want to make sure there’s enough water to cover the jar. Set on low and let it simmer for a minimum of 2 hours. Remember to occasionally stir or shake when making cannabis oil and such products for an even level of potency and flavors.

Strain

After simmering and slowly increasing the oil’s temperature, you must strain it. Put a few layers of cheesecloth into jars and utilize an elastic band to keep it safe during tension. You can do the same process with a coffee filter if you don’t have access to a cheesecloth.

When strained, it can easily be removed or recycled into compost, and your own cannabis coconut oil can go into a mason jar. Then, placing it in a mason jar for a few hours in the refrigerator will complete the process.

Other Methods for Infusing Oil

Here are three alternative methods for making cannabis coconut oil. Depending on the type of area and supplies you have, one of these options may work better for you.

Crockpot

If you’re looking for a different method to make cannaoil, you can decarb weed using a slow cooker and coconut oil. You’ll place dried cannabis and your chosen oil into the slow cooker for this recipe.

How much cannabis will depend on the amount you want at once. Then, cover and cook on high for an hour. Turn the slow cooker down, cook on low for another three hours, and strain the cooled oil as usual.

Double Boiler

First, for the double boiler method, you’ll fill the lower half with water and melt the coconut oil in the top half above your hot water pan. Then, add a cup of water to regulate the temperature at low heat. Once thoroughly mixed, add your cannabis, simmer and stir occasionally to ensure your cannabis oil doesn’t overheat.

Sous vide

The method for sous vide cannabis oil is an excellent choice for those wanting to release as slight an odor as possible if you live in an apartment complex with your parents or want to discreetly; this method will work for you.

With the sous vide method, you’ll still begin by coarsely grinding the plant matter with a hand or coffee grinder and placing them in a heat-proof, vacuum-sealed bag. After that, place a large pot on the stovetop and fill it with water. Once the water has reached 230 degrees Fahrenheit, place your sealed bag of buds in hot water and cook for an hour and a half; then, you’ll infuse coconut oil as the last step.

How to Store Cannabis Coconut Oil

You can use the canna coconut oil immediately to infuse many recipes, but you can also store it. Infused butter or oil lasts up to six months in the refrigerator when appropriately stored in mason jars or other sealed glass containers.

It’s important to note that cannabis-infused oil will begin to lose its potency and flavor at around the three-month mark.

Wrapping it Up

There are a large variety of cannabis-infused products on the market today. When purchasing or buying cannabis oil, choosing trusted brands with high-quality ingredients is essential.

Leafy DOC is happy to assist in your search for the best strains and brands to ensure you are able to make cannabis coconut oil at a high quality.