Cannabutter is one of the most classic ways to make homemade cannabis edibles. Long before dispensary shelves were filled with gummies, chocolates, drinks, baked goods, tinctures, and precisely labeled THC servings, people were making cannabis-infused butter in their kitchens and using it for brownies, cookies, sauces, toast, pasta, and almost anything else that could handle a little butter.
The idea is simple. Cannabis contains cannabinoids like THC and CBD. Butter contains fat. Cannabinoids bind well with fat, so when cannabis is gently heated with butter, some of those cannabis compounds transfer into the butter. Once infused, the butter can be used in food.
But simple does not mean casual.
Cannabutter requires patience, low heat, and careful dosing. Homemade edibles are harder to measure than professionally made cannabis products, so the experience can be unpredictable if you use too much flower, rush the process, or eat more before the first serving has fully kicked in.
At SeshNYC, our goal is to make cannabis feel easier to understand, whether you are shopping in the Bronx, ordering online for pickup, or choosing same-day delivery. SeshNYC offers flower, vapes, edibles, concentrates, and other cannabis products, with in-store shopping, online ordering, pickup, and same-day delivery options for customers who want flexibility.
Cannabutter is butter infused with cannabis. Most people make it by heating decarboxylated cannabis flower with butter over low heat, then straining out the plant material.
The finished butter can be used in recipes the same way regular butter is used, but it should never be treated like regular butter. Cannabutter is an infused cannabis product. That means it should be clearly labeled, stored securely, and kept away from children, pets, roommates, guests, or anyone who should not consume cannabis.
The appeal of cannabutter is flexibility. You can use it in sweet recipes, savory recipes, small test servings, or simple foods where you can control the amount. The downside is that homemade cannabutter is difficult to dose precisely unless you know the potency of the flower, measure carefully, and do conservative math.
That is why the first rule of making cannabutter is not “make it strong.” The first rule is “make it understandable.”
Raw cannabis flower does not behave the same way as cannabis that has been heated. In raw flower, much of the THC exists as THCA. THCA is the acidic form of THC. Heat converts THCA into THC through a process called decarboxylation.
That is why smoking and vaping cannabis create effects quickly. The heat activates cannabinoids as you consume. With edibles, you usually need to activate the cannabis before infusing it into butter.
If you skip decarboxylation, your cannabutter may be much weaker than expected. It may still smell and taste like cannabis, but it may not create the edible experience you thought you were making.
Decarbing sounds technical, but it is really just a careful heating step. You are warming the flower gently before infusion so the cannabinoids are ready to work in an edible format.
To make a basic batch of cannabutter, you need cannabis flower, unsalted butter, water, a baking sheet, parchment paper, a saucepan or slow cooker, cheesecloth, a fine mesh strainer, and a clean storage container.
Unsalted butter is usually the easiest choice because it gives you more control over flavor when you cook later. You can also use clarified butter or ghee, but standard unsalted butter is a good starting point.
For cannabis, flower is the most common choice. You do not need the most expensive flower on the menu, but quality matters. Old, dry, poorly stored flower may create cannabutter with a harsher taste. Fresh, properly stored flower with an aroma you enjoy can make the final butter more pleasant.
SeshNYC’s online menu includes flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vapes, extracts, and more, which gives customers options whether they want to cook at home or choose a professionally made edible with clearer dosing.
A beginner-friendly ratio is:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup water
3.5 grams cannabis flower
This creates a more manageable cannabutter than recipes that use larger amounts of cannabis. Many recipes online call for 7 grams or more per cup of butter, but that can become extremely strong depending on the flower’s THC percentage.
If you are new to homemade edibles, start with less cannabis. You can always adjust in the future. You cannot make an edible weaker after you have eaten it.
Water is optional, but useful. It helps regulate temperature and reduces the chance of scorching the butter. Once the infusion chills, the butter hardens on top and the water can be discarded.
Start by gently breaking the cannabis flower into small pieces. Do not grind it into powder. A coarse break-up is better because it gives enough surface area for infusion while making the final butter easier to strain.
If the cannabis is too finely ground, more plant material can pass through the cheesecloth. That can make the butter taste greener, more bitter, and more grassy.
Spread the broken-up cannabis evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Preheat your oven to about 240°F. Place the cannabis on the baking sheet and heat it for about 30 to 40 minutes, gently stirring once or twice so it heats evenly.
Keep the heat low. You are not trying to toast the cannabis aggressively. You are trying to activate it without burning it. Burned cannabis can taste harsh and may reduce the quality of the infusion.
When finished, the cannabis may look slightly darker and smell more toasted. Let it cool before adding it to butter.
This step is usually the smelliest part of the process, so plan ahead if you share an apartment, live with others, or do not want your kitchen smelling like cannabis.
Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of unsalted butter to a saucepan over low heat. Let the butter melt slowly. Do not boil it.
Once the butter is melted, add the decarboxylated cannabis and stir gently.
The water helps protect the butter from direct heat, but you still need to keep the temperature low. High heat is the enemy of good cannabutter. It can damage flavor, darken the butter, and make the infusion less enjoyable.
Let the mixture simmer on low heat for 2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally. The surface should be warm and gently moving, not bubbling hard.
Do not let it boil. Boiling can scorch the butter and make the final product taste harsh.
A slow cooker can also work well because it keeps the heat steady. Use the lowest setting, stir occasionally, and keep an eye on the mixture.
The goal is a gentle infusion. You are giving the cannabinoids time to move into the fat without cooking the mixture too hard.
Place cheesecloth over a fine mesh strainer and set it over a bowl or measuring cup. Carefully pour the butter mixture through the cheesecloth.
Let it drain naturally. Do not squeeze the cheesecloth too hard. Squeezing can push extra plant material into the butter and make it taste more bitter.
Once strained, discard the leftover plant material safely. The infused liquid will contain melted butter and water.
Pour the strained mixture into a clean container and place it in the refrigerator. As it cools, the butter will harden on top and the water will settle underneath.
Once fully chilled, lift the hardened cannabutter from the container. Pour off the water. Pat the bottom of the butter dry with a paper towel if needed.
Now you have cannabutter.
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Label it clearly with the date and the words Cannabis Infused. Do not store it in a container that looks like regular butter without a warning.
This is the most important question, and the honest answer is that you can estimate, but you cannot know perfectly without lab testing.
Here is a rough example.
If you use 3.5 grams of flower testing at 20% THC, that flower contains about 700 mg of potential THC before losses. Some THC is lost during decarboxylation, infusion, straining, and cooking. Even with those losses, the final butter may still be very potent.
If that 1 cup of cannabutter is used in a recipe that makes 20 cookies, each cookie could still contain a meaningful amount of THC. If the flower is stronger, the butter is stronger. If the recipe makes fewer servings, each serving is stronger.
This is why homemade cannabutter should be treated with caution. It is not like opening a package of regulated gummies where each serving lists a clear number of milligrams. Homemade butter can vary from batch to batch, even when you follow the same recipe.
Do not start by baking a tray of brownies and eating one like a regular dessert.
Test a very small amount first. Try a tiny portion on toast or mixed into food when you are at home, have no plans to drive, and can wait several hours. Give the edible plenty of time to take effect before considering more.
NYC Health notes that cannabis added into food or beverages has a delayed and longer-lasting effect compared with smoked or vaped cannabis, and New York guidance recommends starting with a small amount and waiting to feel the effects before taking more.
This matters even more with homemade cannabutter because the dose is harder to measure.
Cannabutter is an edible, and edibles do not feel like smoking or vaping.
When cannabis is inhaled, effects usually come on quickly. When cannabis is eaten, the body digests and metabolizes it first. That means the effects can take longer to appear and may last longer.
NYC Health states that concentrates may have much higher amounts of THC and that cannabis added into food and beverages has a delayed and longer-lasting effect than smoked or vaped cannabis.
This is why someone might smoke flower and feel comfortable after a few minutes, but eat too much cannabutter and feel overwhelmed later. The timing is different. The duration is different. The body processes it differently.
With cannabutter, patience is part of responsible use.
Cannabutter can be used in many recipes, but it works best when you avoid extremely high heat. Brownies and cookies are classic, but you can also use cannabutter in lower-heat recipes or add it after cooking.
You can spread a tiny amount on toast, melt it into pasta, add it to mashed potatoes, use it in sauces, mix it into oatmeal, or blend a small amount into baked goods.
One smart approach is to use only a portion of cannabutter in a recipe and regular butter for the rest. For example, if a cookie recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, you might use ¼ cup cannabutter and ¾ cup regular butter. This helps lower the dose per serving and makes the final product easier to manage.
Always divide the recipe into equal servings and estimate the dose per serving before eating. Do not eyeball it after the fact.
The first mistake is skipping decarboxylation. Without decarb, your butter may not have the effect you expect.
The second mistake is using too much cannabis. Stronger is not better if the final edible becomes uncomfortable.
The third mistake is overheating. High heat can damage flavor and create a harsh infusion.
The fourth mistake is grinding the flower too finely. Powdered plant material can make the butter taste more bitter and harder to strain cleanly.
The fifth mistake is squeezing the cheesecloth too hard. That can push extra chlorophyll and plant material into the butter.
The sixth mistake is failing to label the finished product. Cannabutter can look like regular butter in the fridge. That can be dangerous in a shared home.
The seventh mistake is redosing too soon. Edibles take time. Taking more before the first dose fully works is one of the easiest ways to overconsume.
Store cannabutter in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Label it clearly. Keep it away from children and pets. If you live with other adults, make sure they know it is infused.
NYC Health specifically advises that cannabis products should be stored safely and kept out of reach of children and pets.
Do not leave cannabutter on the counter during a party. Do not use it in shared food unless every adult knows exactly what they are consuming and has agreed to it. Do not bring infused food somewhere without telling people.
Cannabis edibles can look like normal food, which is part of what makes them risky when improperly stored. Treat cannabutter like an adult-use cannabis product, not a casual kitchen ingredient.
Homemade cannabutter is flexible and traditional, but store-bought edibles have one major advantage: clearer dosing.
Licensed cannabis edibles are manufactured, tested, labeled, and packaged under state rules. That makes it easier to understand how many milligrams are in each serving. Homemade cannabutter depends on flower potency, decarb efficiency, infusion time, straining, recipe size, and how evenly the butter is mixed.
That does not mean homemade cannabutter is bad. It means it requires more caution.
If you want a more predictable edible experience, ordering professionally made edibles from SeshNYC may be easier. If you enjoy cooking and want to make your own infused recipes, start small, measure carefully, and respect the delayed onset.
Yes, many people use shake or small buds to make cannabutter. Shake can be cost-effective, especially if it comes from good flower. The flavor and potency will depend on the quality of the material.
Avoid using old, musty, moldy, or questionable cannabis. Infusion does not fix bad flower. It only transfers what is there into butter.
If the cannabis smells unpleasant before infusion, the butter probably will not taste great either.
Some experienced consumers make infused butter with concentrates, but it requires extra caution because concentrates can be very potent. A small amount may contain a large amount of THC.
If you are new to cannabutter, flower is usually easier to understand. Concentrates can make dosing much harder unless you know exactly how many milligrams of THC are in the product and how to calculate servings.
NYC Health notes that concentrates such as dabs, wax, and oil may contain much higher amounts of THC and may cause faster, more intense effects than other forms of cannabis.
For most beginners, flower is the better place to start.
Yes, making cannabutter usually smells like cannabis. Decarboxylation is often the strongest-smelling part of the process. Simmering the butter can also produce aroma.
If smell matters, plan accordingly. Open windows, use ventilation, and avoid making cannabutter right before guests arrive unless everyone in the household is comfortable with the smell.
In a New York apartment, this is worth thinking about before you start. Cannabutter is not a subtle kitchen project.
Cannabis is legal in New York for adults 21 and older, but that does not mean anything goes. NYC Health states that adults 21 and older may possess up to three ounces of cannabis and up to 24 grams of concentrated cannabis outside the home, and may store up to five pounds of cannabis at home.
NYC Health also notes that cannabis can be purchased at adult-use or medical dispensaries licensed by the State Office of Cannabis Management, and warns that unlicensed stores may not have regulated quality control measures or accurate labeling.
That matters for homemade cannabutter. Start with legally purchased, regulated cannabis when possible. Know what you are using. Store it responsibly. Do not drive after consuming cannabis. Do not serve infused food to anyone without their clear knowledge and consent.
Cannabutter is butter infused with cannabis. It is commonly used to make homemade cannabis edibles such as brownies, cookies, sauces, and other infused foods.
Yes. Decarboxylation is usually necessary because heat converts THCA into THC. Without decarbing, the butter may be much weaker than expected.
Most cannabutter recipes take several hours. Decarboxylation usually takes about 30 to 40 minutes, and the butter infusion often takes 2 to 3 hours over low heat.
Yes. Unsalted butter is usually preferred because it gives you more control over flavor and recipe use.
A beginner-friendly starting point is 3.5 grams of cannabis flower per 1 cup of butter. Some recipes use more, but stronger butter is harder to dose safely.
You can estimate based on the THC percentage of the flower and the amount used, but homemade cannabutter cannot be dosed perfectly without lab testing. Always assume it may be stronger than expected.
Edibles can take longer to kick in than smoking or vaping, and the full effects may take hours. NYC Health notes that some cannabis products can have delayed effects and that edibles can take up to four hours to feel the full effect.
No. Do not drive after consuming cannabis. NYC Health advises avoiding driving after cannabis use because impairment increases crash risk and can harm you and others.
If you want clearer dosing, store-bought edibles from a licensed cannabis dispensary are usually easier. If you enjoy cooking and want to make homemade infused foods, cannabutter can be a good project, but it requires careful dosing and secure storage.
Yes, cannabis flower is commonly used to make cannabutter. Customers can browse SeshNYC’s menu for flower and other cannabis products, then decide whether they want to make homemade cannabutter or choose a ready-made edible instead.
The best cannabutter is not the strongest cannabutter. It is the butter you understand.
Start with quality cannabis flower. Decarb it gently. Infuse it slowly. Strain it carefully. Label it clearly. Test it cautiously. Give it time before taking more.
Cannabutter can be a fun way to learn how cannabis works in food, but homemade edibles deserve respect. They can be stronger than expected, slower to appear, and longer-lasting than inhaled cannabis.
SeshNYC makes cannabis shopping easier in the Bronx and beyond with in-store shopping, online ordering, pickup, and delivery. Whether you want to make your own cannabutter or choose a professionally made edible with clearer dosing, the smartest cannabis experience starts with good information, careful choices, and a healthy respect for the plant.
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