Making your own infusion is kinda intimidating at first. You’ve probably heard horror stories about people burning an entire ounce of expensive flower or making their kitchen smell like a dorm room for three days straight. It’s a mess. But honestly, the secret to the best results isn't some fancy $300 infusion machine you saw on Instagram. It’s that dusty Crock-Pot sitting in the back of your kitchen cabinet.
Using a slow cooker for cannabutter—or slow cooker cannabutter as the enthusiasts call it—is basically the "set it and forget it" method that actually works. It solves the biggest problem in DIY edibles: heat control. You need low, consistent temperatures to pull those cannabinoids out of the plant material without scorching the delicate terpenes or turning your THC into CBN, which just makes you sleepy.
Most people mess this up because they rush. They think higher heat means a faster infusion. Nope. That’s how you get butter that tastes like a burnt lawn mower bag.
The Decarboxylation Step Nobody Should Skip
Before you even touch that Crock-Pot, you have to talk about decarboxylation. It's a big word for a simple process. Raw cannabis contains THCA, which isn't psychoactive. You can eat a pound of raw bud and you won’t feel a thing, though your stomach might hurt. To turn that THCA into THC, you need heat.
Preheat your oven to about 240°F. Grind your flower—but don't turn it into dust—and spread it on a baking sheet. Parchment paper is your best friend here. Bake it for about 30 to 45 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when it looks slightly toasted and smells nutty. If it turns dark brown, you’ve gone too far.
Why do this separately? Because even though a slow cooker provides heat, it's often not quite hot enough or consistent enough to fully decarboxylate the flower while it's submerged in fat. Doing it in the oven first ensures you’re getting the maximum potency for your buck.
Setting Up Your Slow Cooker Cannabutter
Once your flower is "decarbed," it's time for the actual infusion. You’ll want a 1:1 ratio for a standard strength batch—typically one cup of butter to one cup of ground cannabis (roughly 7–10 grams, depending on how strong you want it).
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Use unsalted butter. High-quality, European-style butter with a higher fat content actually works better because cannabinoids bind to fat molecules. If you want to get really technical, some people use clarified butter or ghee. Ghee has a higher smoke point and less water, which leads to a cleaner finish and a longer shelf life in the fridge.
Throw your butter and a splash of water into the slow cooker.
The water is a pro tip. It keeps the butter from burning and helps pull out the chlorophyll, which is what gives some edibles that "swamp water" aftertaste. Since THC isn't water-soluble, you aren't losing any potency. The water and butter will separate later in the fridge anyway.
Dialing in the Temperature
Turn your slow cooker to "Low." If your model runs particularly hot, use the "Keep Warm" setting. You’re aiming for a temperature between 160°F and 190°F. If you have a kitchen thermometer, use it. Seriously.
Let it simmer for 4 to 6 hours. Some people swear by 12 or 24 hours, but science doesn't really back that up. After a certain point, you’re just extracting more chlorophyll and plant waxes, making the butter taste worse without adding any more "kick." A few hours is plenty.
Straining and Storage Secrets
When the time is up, turn off the machine and let it cool for a bit. Don't let it solidify, though. You need it liquid to strain it.
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Get a cheesecloth. Fold it over a few times. Place it over a glass bowl—Pyrex is perfect—and secure it with a rubber band. Pour the mixture through.
Here is the most important part: Do not squeeze the cheesecloth. I know it’s tempting. You see that trapped liquid and you want every drop. But when you squeeze, you’re pushing bitter plant material and waxes into your beautiful gold butter. Just let it gravity strain. Your taste buds will thank you later.
Put the bowl in the fridge. After a few hours, the butter will form a hard puck on top, and the dirty water will be at the bottom. Pop the puck out, dump the water, and pat the bottom of the butter dry with a paper towel. Excess moisture leads to mold, and nobody wants that.
Why This Method Actually Beats the Stove Top
A stove top infusion is a nightmare of constant hovering. You’re constantly adjusting the dial, worried about the butter foaming or scorching. The Crock-Pot creates a closed environment. It maintains a thermal mass that's much harder to fluctuate.
Also, it's discreet-ish. While your house will definitely smell like cannabis, it’s not the sharp, acrid smell of burning fat. It’s a low, slow aroma that's much more manageable.
Potency and Dosing Realities
Let’s be real: dosing home-made edibles is a guessing game. Unless you’re sending your butter to a lab, you won’t know the exact milligram count. However, you can estimate.
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If you use 10 grams of flower with 20% THC, you have 2,000mg of THC in that flower. Even with a perfect infusion, you’ll lose some in the process—maybe 20% or 30%. So, your whole batch might have around 1,400mg to 1,500mg. Divide that by the number of tablespoons in a cup (16), and you’re looking at nearly 90mg per tablespoon.
That is incredibly strong.
Always test a small amount—like a quarter teaspoon—on a cracker and wait two hours before you go making a full batch of brownies. You can't "un-eat" an edible.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Grinding too fine: If you use a coffee grinder to turn your bud into dust, you’ll never be able to strain it all out. Your butter will be gritty and taste like hay. A regular hand grinder or even just breaking it up by hand is better.
- Skipping the water: Without water, the butter volume decreases as it simmers, and the risk of burning the milk solids skyrockets.
- Leaving it on High: "High" on most Crock-Pots is around 210°F or more. That’s too hot. You'll degrade the THC.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're ready to start, don't go buy a whole ounce. Start small.
- Audit your gear: Make sure you have cheesecloth and a reliable slow cooker.
- Source your fat: Grab some high-fat grass-fed butter or ghee from the store.
- The "Test" Batch: Try a "half-batch" with 3.5 grams (an eighth) and a half-cup of butter. It's lower stake and helps you learn the quirks of your specific slow cooker.
- Label everything: Once it's in the fridge, label it clearly. You do not want a roommate or family member accidentally using your "special" butter for their morning toast before work.
Store your finished product in an airtight glass jar in the back of the fridge. It'll stay fresh for about two to three weeks, or you can freeze it for up to six months. Just cut it into tablespoon-sized cubes before freezing so you can grab exactly what you need for a recipe.