So, you want to learn how to make pot edibles. Honestly, it's a lot easier to mess up than most people think. You can’t just throw a bag of flower into some brownie mix and hope for the best. That’s a one-way ticket to wasting expensive weed and tasting nothing but dirt. To get it right, you have to understand the chemistry—specifically, why raw cannabis doesn’t actually get you high.
Ever wonder why people don't just eat raw buds? It's because the plant contains THCA, which isn't psychoactive. You need heat to drop that "A" (acid) and turn it into THC. This process is called decarboxylation. If you skip this, you’re basically eating a very expensive salad.
The Science of Decarboxylation (And Why Your Oven Is Your Best Friend)
Before you even touch a stick of butter, you need to prep your flower. Most people call it "decarbing." It’s the most critical step in learning how to make pot edibles that actually work.
You need to heat your cannabis at a low temperature for a specific amount of time. If the heat is too high, you destroy the cannabinoids and terpenes (those things that give it the smell and specific effects). If it's too low, nothing happens. A study by Journal of Chromatography found that the sweet spot for maximum THC conversion is around $230^{\circ}\text{F}$ to $250^{\circ}\text{F}$ ($110^{\circ}\text{C}$ to $120^{\circ}\text{C}$).
Here is how you do it without overthinking:
- Break your cannabis into small, pea-sized pieces. Don't grind it into a powder. If it's too fine, it’ll be impossible to strain out later, and your cookies will taste like a lawnmower.
- Spread it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at $240^{\circ}\text{F}$ for about 30 to 45 minutes.
- Watch the color. You want it to look toasted and light brown, not charred.
The smell will be intense. Seriously. If you have neighbors or roommates, they’re going to know exactly what’s happening. Some people use a mason jar in the oven to keep the scent contained, but it can be tricky with heat distribution.
Fat is the Secret Sauce
Cannabinoids are fat-soluble. They need to latch onto a lipid to be absorbed by your body. This is why most recipes for how to make pot edibles focus on butter or oil.
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Butter is the classic choice, but coconut oil is actually a beast for this. Why? Because coconut oil has a higher saturated fat content. Saturated fats provide more "binding sites" for the THC to cling to. It also stays solid at room temperature and lasts a long time.
Infusion: The Low and Slow Method
Once your weed is decarbed, it’s time to marry it to the fat.
Take a cup of butter or oil and a cup of water. Put them in a saucepan or slow cooker. Add your decarbed cannabis. The water is a safety net; it prevents the butter from burning and helps pull out some of the chlorophyll, which makes the final product taste less like "green."
Simmer this on low—around $160^{\circ}\text{F}$ to $200^{\circ}\text{F}$—for at least two to three hours. Don't let it boil. If it boils, you’re cooking off the good stuff. After that, strain it through a cheesecloth. Don't squeeze the cheesecloth too hard! People always want to get every last drop, but squeezing it just forces more bitter plant material into your oil.
Let's Talk About Dosage (Because Math Matters)
This is where things get hairy. When you learn how to make pot edibles at home, there's no lab label to tell you the milligrams.
Let's do some quick, rough math. Say you have 1 gram (1,000mg) of flower that is 20% THC. That means you have 200mg of THC. However, you’ll lose about 10-20% during the decarb and infusion process. So, you’re left with maybe 160mg. If you use that to make 16 brownies, each one is roughly 10mg.
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That sounds low, but remember: 11-hydroxy-THC.
When you eat cannabis, your liver converts Delta-9 THC into 11-hydroxy-THC. This version is way more potent and crosses the blood-brain barrier more easily. It’s why an edible high feels "heavier" and lasts way longer than smoking.
The Most Common Mistakes People Make
Most people mess up the temperature. They think higher heat means faster results. Wrong. It just means ruined product.
Another big one? Not stirring. If you're using a saucepan, you have to stay on top of it. Hot spots on the bottom of the pan can scorch the cannabinoids.
Then there’s the "wait time." You’ve heard the stories. Someone eats a gummy, waits 20 minutes, feels nothing, eats three more, and then spends the next six hours questioning their existence. Edibles can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours to kick in depending on your metabolism and what else you’ve eaten.
Choosing Your Medium: It's Not Just Brownies Anymore
While brownies are the gold standard, you can infuse almost anything.
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- Honey: Great for tea or toast.
- Olive Oil: Perfect for drizzling over pasta or making salad dressing. Just don't use it for high-heat frying.
- Gummies: These are harder because you need gelatin or agar-agar and an emulsifier like lecithin to keep the oil from separating.
If you want the cleanest flavor, look into "washing" your butter. After straining the infused butter, let it solidify in the fridge. The water (and the bitter gunk) will sit at the bottom. You can poke a hole, drain the water, and you're left with a clean block of infused gold.
Safety and Storage
Labels are your best friend. If you live with other people, especially kids or pets, mark your stuff clearly. It’s not funny if someone accidentally eats a 50mg brownie thinking it’s a snack.
Store your oils and butter in the fridge or freezer. Infused butter can go rancid just like regular butter, and the light/heat will eventually degrade the THC.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re ready to start, don't go all-in with a whole ounce. Start small.
- Buy a digital thermometer. It’s the only way to be sure you aren’t killing your THC.
- Get some cheesecloth. Paper towels or coffee filters are a nightmare to use for straining.
- Decarb a small batch first. Try 3.5 grams (an eighth) with half a cup of butter.
- Test your potency. Once your butter is done, try 1/4 teaspoon on a cracker. Wait two hours. See how you feel before you bake a whole batch of treats.
Making your own edibles is a skill. It takes a little practice to get the "weedy" taste out and the potency right. But once you nail the decarb and the low-temp infusion, you’ll never go back to overpriced dispensary snacks again. Just keep it low, keep it slow, and always, always label your jars.