Cannabis Butter Recipe: How to Make Cannabutter (2026) | The Library NJ
Step-by-step cannabis butter recipe. Decarb temps, dosage math, storage tips. Make potent cannabutter at home with NJ flower from The Library.
The Library Recipe Collection
Classic Cannabis Butter
A reliable, stovetop cannabis butter recipe that produces potent, clean, versatile cannabutter you can use in any recipe that calls for butter.
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
3 hours
Total Time
3h 15min
Yield
1 cup
Servings
16 tablespoons
Course
Base ingredient
Cuisine
Cannabis edibles
Recipe by: The Library Dispensary Team • Updated: April 2026 • Difficulty: Beginner friendly
Cannabis butter (cannabutter) is the backbone of homemade edibles. This recipe takes about 3 hours and 15 minutes from start to finish and yields 1 cup (16 tablespoons) of potent, versatile infused butter. The core ratio is simple: 1 cup of unsalted butter + 1 cup of water + 7 to 14 grams of decarboxylated cannabis flower. The science is simple too — THC is fat-soluble, so it binds to the butter during a low, slow simmer. The only tricky parts are decarbing properly, keeping the temperature low enough to preserve THC, and doing the math on your final dosage.
The 60-Second Version
Why This Recipe Works
Every cannabis butter recipe is really doing two things: activating THC through heat (decarboxylation) and binding that THC to fat molecules (infusion). Everything else — the water, the low heat, the straining — exists to make those two things happen cleanly without destroying the compounds you worked hard to extract.
Raw cannabis flower contains THCA, which is the acidic, non-psychoactive form of THC. Heating cannabis between 220°F and 245°F converts THCA into THC through a chemical process called decarboxylation. Below that range, the conversion happens too slowly. Above it, you start burning off THC faster than you create it. The 240°F / 40 minute rule is the sweet spot that extraction chemists have been refining for decades. For the full chemistry, read our complete guide to decarboxylation.
Once you have activated THC, you need a vehicle to carry it into your body. Cannabinoids are lipophilic — they dissolve in fat, not water. That is why we use butter (which is roughly 80% fat) rather than tea or broth for infusion. During the simmer, heat drives the THC molecules off the plant material and into the melted butter, where they bond to the fat. Once the butter cools and re-solidifies, those THC molecules are trapped inside the fat matrix. When you eat the butter, your body digests the fat and absorbs the THC along with it. Simple, elegant, and repeatable.
The water in the recipe is not a throwaway. It buffers the butter from the direct heat of the pan, keeping the infusion temperature in the safe zone and preventing the butter solids from scorching. Water also pulls out some of the chlorophyll and bitter compounds that would otherwise end up in your finished butter. When you chill the strained liquid, the butter floats to the top and the water (now tinted green with chlorophyll) settles below. You pour off the water and keep only the clean butter.
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Browse MenuIngredients
Core Ingredients
1 cup
unsalted butter (2 sticks / 227g)
European-style butter has higher fat content and richer flavor.
1 cup
water
Buffers heat, pulls out chlorophyll, separates out during chilling.
7 to 14g
decarboxylated cannabis flower (1/4 to 1/2 oz)
7g = moderate potency. 14g = strong. See dosage section below.
Optional
1 tbsp
sunflower lecithin
Emulsifier that improves THC bioavailability. Look for liquid or powdered sunflower lecithin. Soy lecithin works too but some people prefer to avoid soy.
Flower selection tip
Don't waste your most expensive boutique flower on cannabutter. The low, slow infusion extracts THC effectively but blunts terpenes and nuance, so the specific strain matters less than the THC percentage. Pick something in the 18-24% THC range with a price you feel good about. The Library stocks several NJ-grown eighths ideal for cooking — ask a budtender for a "cooking flower" recommendation.
Equipment Needed
Medium saucepan or slow cooker
2-quart capacity is ideal. Heavy-bottomed pans hold heat more evenly.
Cheesecloth (doubled over)
Two layers catch fine plant material. Unbleached is best.
Fine mesh strainer
Sits over your container to hold the cheesecloth.
Storage container with tight lid
Glass Pyrex or mason jar. Airtight is critical for shelf life.
Rubber spatula
For gentle stirring. Metal spoons transfer heat and can scorch butter.
Kitchen scale (recommended)
Measuring cannabis by weight, not volume. Accuracy matters for dosing.
Kitchen thermometer
Ideally a candy or probe thermometer. The #1 tool for preventing THC loss.
Baking sheet + parchment paper
For decarboxylating the flower before infusion.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Decarboxylate Your Cannabis
The single most important step. Do not skip it.
Preheat your oven to 240°F (115°C). Use an oven thermometer if possible — many home ovens are 10 to 25 degrees off. Break your cannabis into pea-sized pieces with your fingers (no grinder — too fine means plant material slipping through the strainer later). Spread the cannabis in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 40 minutes. The cannabis should go from bright green to a golden brown and develop a strong herbal smell. Remove from oven, let it cool completely on the sheet, and handle gently — properly decarbed flower becomes crumbly.
If you want the complete chemistry and a breakdown of why 240°F specifically is the optimal temperature, read our decarboxylation complete guide before starting. Seriously — this is where most first-time cannabutter fails.
Why it matters: Without decarbing, your butter will contain THCA instead of THC. THCA is not psychoactive. Your edibles will taste like cannabis and do nothing.
Melt Butter With Water
Low heat. Water is your safety buffer.
Combine 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter and 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan. Place it on your stovetop over low heat. Let the butter melt slowly, stirring occasionally. You should see small bubbles around the edges but nothing approaching a boil.
Why the water? Two reasons. First, it keeps the butter from scorching against the hot metal of the pan. Second, it pulls out chlorophyll and bitter water-soluble compounds from the cannabis. Later, when you chill the finished butter, the water and butter separate cleanly — butter floats, water sinks. You pour off the water and keep the clean, concentrated butter.
Add the Decarbed Cannabis
Stir it in. Submerge everything.
Once the butter has fully melted and combined with the water, add your decarbed cannabis. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until all the plant material is fully submerged in the butter-water mixture. If you're using sunflower lecithin, add 1 tablespoon now and stir it in.
The cannabis will float at first. That's normal. Keep gently stirring over the next few minutes until everything is saturated and sunken into the liquid. Don't chop, mash, or whip — gentle is the rule.
Simmer Low and Slow (Never Boil)
This is where most recipes fail. Watch the temperature.
Maintain a temperature of 160 to 200°F (71 to 93°C) for 2 to 3 hours. This is not optional — boiling the butter destroys THC and burns the flavor. Use a kitchen thermometer or candy thermometer. If the mixture starts bubbling vigorously, turn the heat down immediately.
Stir gently every 20 to 30 minutes with your rubber spatula. Don't whip or agitate — just fold the mixture to keep the cannabis circulating through the butter. Over the course of the simmer, the butter will turn a deep greenish-gold color and develop a strong herbal aroma. That's the THC binding to the fat.
You can also do this step in a slow cooker on LOW for 4 to 6 hours. The LOW setting typically holds around 175°F, which is ideal. Do not use HIGH — it runs too hot and degrades THC.
Temperature danger zone: Above 220°F, THC degrades rapidly. Above 392°F, cannabinoids are destroyed. Your target is the 160-200°F range. This is the single most important variable in the entire recipe.
Strain Through Cheesecloth
Do not squeeze.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes so it's not screaming hot. Line a fine mesh strainer with two layers of cheesecloth and set it over your storage container (Pyrex or a mason jar works great).
Slowly pour the butter mixture through the cheesecloth. Let gravity do all the work. Do not squeeze or press the cheesecloth. Squeezing forces bitter plant compounds, chlorophyll, and fine particles into your clean butter — it adds no meaningful THC and ruins the flavor. When the dripping slows to a trickle, you can gently lift the edges of the cheesecloth and let the last bits drain, but resist the urge to squeeze.
Discard the spent plant material.
Cool and Refrigerate
Overnight is best. Then separate butter from water.
Let the strained liquid cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours — overnight is ideal. The butter will solidify on top and the greenish water will settle to the bottom.
When it's fully chilled, run a butter knife around the edge of the butter disc and lift it out in one piece. Pat it dry with a paper towel and transfer it to an airtight container. Discard the water underneath. Label the container with the date, the strain and amount used, and your estimated mg of THC per tablespoon (see the dosage section below).
That's it. You have cannabutter.
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Get DirectionsDosage Math and Safety
This is the section people skip and regret. Homemade cannabutter is not like a dispensary edible with a lab-verified label on the side. You need to estimate your own potency before you eat anything made with it. The math is not hard — it's basic arithmetic — but you have to actually do it.
The Cannabutter Dosage Formula
# Step 1: Total theoretical THC
(grams flower) × (THC % as decimal) × 1000 = total mg THC in the flower
# Step 2: Apply decarb efficiency
× 0.88 (THCA loses 12% mass becoming THC)
# Step 3: Apply infusion efficiency
× 0.50 (stovetop extraction is ~40-60% efficient)
# Step 4: Per tablespoon
÷ 16 (tablespoons in 1 cup of butter)
Use 0.88 as the decarb conversion factor (THCA → THC) and 0.50 as a conservative infusion efficiency estimate. Real efficiency varies from 40-60% depending on technique.
Worked Example: 14 Grams of 20% THC Flower
- Theoretical total: 14g × 0.20 × 1000 = 2,800 mg THC in the flower
- After decarb loss: 2,800 × 0.88 = 2,464 mg activated THC
- After infusion loss: 2,464 × 0.50 = 1,232 mg in the finished butter
- Per tablespoon (1 cup butter): 1,232 ÷ 16 ≈ 77 mg THC per tablespoon
- Per teaspoon: 77 ÷ 3 ≈ 25 mg per teaspoon
Note: At this ratio, 1 tablespoon of finished cannabutter contains about 7-8x a standard NJ dispensary edible serving (10mg). When you use this butter in a recipe, you need to divide the total THC by the number of servings the recipe makes — not eat a tablespoon straight. A brownie recipe using 1/2 cup of this butter (8 tbsp = ~616mg THC) cut into 16 brownies = ~38mg per brownie. Still a strong dose.
Lower Potency Example: 7 Grams of 18% THC Flower
- 7g × 0.18 × 1000 = 1,260 mg theoretical total
- 1,260 × 0.88 = 1,109 mg after decarb
- 1,109 × 0.50 = ~555 mg in the finished butter
- 555 ÷ 16 ≈ 35 mg per tablespoon
This is a more beginner-friendly batch. A brownie recipe using 1/2 cup of this butter cut into 16 brownies would be ~17mg per brownie — still strong but closer to a manageable single dose for experienced users.
Overdose Warning
Homemade cannabutter is potent and imprecise. Unlike a dispensary edible, you don't get a lab-verified milligram count. Your actual potency could be 20% lower or higher than your math suggests, depending on your flower, your thermometer, and your technique.
Before using it in any recipe: make a test portion. Spread 1/4 teaspoon (~6 mg if your math says 25 mg/tsp) on a cracker. Wait 2 hours. See how you feel. Adjust your recipe based on the result. Never trust the math alone.
For a deeper dive into beginner dosing guidelines, read our edibles dosing guide for beginners. If you want to calculate doses for a specific recipe, use our edible dosage calculator to run the numbers without doing the math by hand.
Tips for Success
Low heat is everything
The #1 failure mode for homemade cannabutter is simmering too hot. Temperatures above 220°F degrade THC quickly. Use a thermometer, not intuition. If your butter is bubbling or foaming, turn it down.
Use fresh, high-fat butter
Older butter has oxidized milk solids that taint the flavor. European-style butter (82%+ fat) binds more THC than standard American butter (80% fat). Unsalted only — salted butter already has seasoning.
Kief adds extra potency
If you have kief from a grinder, add a gram or two during infusion. Kief is nearly pure trichomes — the THC-dense part of the plant. A little goes a long way.
Lecithin improves bioavailability
Sunflower lecithin is an emulsifier that helps your body absorb more of the THC you consume. Not strictly necessary, but a cheap way to get more mileage out of each batch.
Stir gently, don't whip
Aggressive stirring introduces air, which oxidizes THC and creates foam that separates poorly. Use a rubber spatula and fold the mixture rather than whisking.
Start with a test portion
Before committing to a whole brownie recipe, spread a tiny amount on a cracker and test it. Your math will get you close — your tongue and your body will tell you the truth.
Don't grind the flower too fine
Fine powder passes through cheesecloth and ends up in your butter. Break flower into pea-sized pieces with your fingers. Coarser is always better for infusion.
Label everything
Write the date, strain, grams used, and estimated mg of THC per tablespoon directly on the container. Unlabeled cannabutter is how people end up in the ER.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Skipping decarboxylation
Always, always decarb first. Without decarbing, you will end up with butter full of THCA that tastes like cannabis but produces zero psychoactive effects. This is the #1 reason first-time cannabutter fails.
Heat set too high
Anything above 220°F starts destroying THC. Above 300°F, you are cooking off significant quantities. Use the lowest stovetop setting and a thermometer. Simmering means tiny bubbles around the edges — not rolling boil.
Using wet or freshly ground cannabis
Cannabis needs to be dried and cured before decarbing. Wet flower steams instead of decarbing. Freshly ground flower is too fine and ends up in the butter. Break by hand, not with a grinder.
Squeezing the cheesecloth while straining
Squeezing forces chlorophyll, bitter compounds, and fine plant matter through the cheesecloth. Let gravity do the work. If you want the last drop, tap the strainer — do not squeeze.
Not straining thoroughly
Single-layer cheesecloth lets fine plant material through. Always double up and use a fine mesh strainer underneath. Plant material in finished butter causes harsh taste and shortens shelf life.
Storing incorrectly
Room temperature cannabutter goes rancid in 1-2 days. Not airtight = oxidation and flavor loss. Always refrigerate in an airtight container, or freeze for long-term storage. Label everything clearly.
Eating it without calculating dosage
Homemade cannabutter is stronger than most people expect. Always do the dosage math BEFORE adding it to a recipe, and always test a small amount first. Trusting intuition is how people end up in the ER.
Making way too much at once
Start with a single batch (1 cup of butter). Once you know your technique and your preferred strength, scale up. Scaling up means you need to maintain the same temperature control, which gets harder in bigger pots.
Storage and Shelf Life
Refrigerator
2-3 weeks
Airtight container only. Keep away from strong-smelling foods. Line the container with parchment if you want to portion it easily later.
Freezer
6+ months
Wrap in parchment, then foil, then freezer bag — three layers keep freezer burn out. Portion into 1-tablespoon scoops before freezing for easy use later.
Room temp
1-2 days max
Not recommended for storage. Butter goes rancid quickly at room temperature, and cannabis plant residue accelerates spoilage. Always refrigerate or freeze.
Labeling checklist
Every container of cannabutter should have a label with:
- Date the butter was made
- Strain used (if you know it)
- Grams of flower per cup of butter
- Estimated mg of THC per tablespoon
- A clear THC warning symbol or the word CANNABIS
This is not paranoia — unlabeled cannabutter is the most common cause of accidental dosing for family members and pets. Label everything, every time.
Uses for Cannabutter
Cannabutter substitutes 1:1 for regular butter in virtually any recipe that doesn't require extremely high heat (above 350°F starts degrading THC). Baked goods, sauces, cold spreads, and low-temperature cooking are all fair game. Here are the most common uses, plus links to more detailed recipes in our collection:
THC Brownies
The classic. Cannabutter replaces regular butter in your favorite brownie recipe. Dense chocolate masks any herbal flavor and the fat content holds the dose well.
Read the brownie guide →Cookies
Chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodle — any cookie that uses butter works with cannabutter. Smaller cookies mean smaller, more consistent doses per serving.
Pasta sauces
Stir a tablespoon into alfredo, butter sauce, or brown butter for pasta. The low cooking temperatures preserve THC. Rich sauces mask herbal flavor well.
Toast and bagels
The simplest application. Spread on warm toast. Measure carefully — this is the easiest way to accidentally over-dose because people don't think of toast as a dose vehicle.
Mashed potatoes and vegetables
Melt a measured amount into mashed potatoes or tossed vegetables. Savory dishes hide the cannabis flavor better than sweet ones.
Coffee and tea
Stir into hot coffee with cream (fat helps dissolve it). Works, but dosing is tricky because drinks hit faster than solid food.
For a broader look at cannabis cooking, check out our beginner's guide to cooking with cannabis or our complete homemade edibles guide. And if you want a more detailed walk-through of the cannabutter process itself (with extra context on decarboxylation science, extraction efficiency, and troubleshooting), read our how to make cannabutter complete guide.
Where to Get Flower for Cannabutter
The Library offers NJ-grown flower that's perfect for cannabutter — eighths start from $20, and our budtenders can point you toward specific strains that deliver the best value for cooking. For cannabutter, you want flower in the 18-24% THC range with a reasonable price point. Don't waste your most expensive boutique flower on infusion — the low, slow simmer blunts terpenes and nuance, so any strain with a strong THC percentage will do the job.
Wondering how much flower actually costs in New Jersey? See our NJ cannabis pricing guide for a full breakdown of eighth, quarter, half, and ounce pricing across the state. For cannabutter, most home cooks buy an eighth (3.5g) for a small batch or a quarter (7g) for a stronger single-cup batch. A half-ounce (14g) works for a maximum-potency batch in 1 cup of butter.
Shop Cooking Flower at The Library
NJ-grown flower from our West Orange dispensary. Our budtenders will point you toward the best value options for cannabis butter.
5 Washington Street West Orange, NJ 07052
(862) 786-0886 Cooking strain advice
Order online via Dutchie Eighths from $20
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cannabis do I use per cup of butter?
For 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, use 7 to 14 grams (1/4 to 1/2 ounce) of cannabis flower. Seven grams per cup is a moderate, beginner-friendly ratio. Fourteen grams is closer to dispensary-level potency. For a full ounce (28g) of flower, use 2 cups of butter (4 sticks) to stay in the sweet spot for infusion efficiency.
Why do I need to decarboxylate cannabis before making butter?
Raw cannabis contains THCA, which is not psychoactive. Heating at 240°F (115°C) for 40 minutes converts THCA into THC, the compound that actually gets you high. Skipping decarboxylation is the number one mistake in homemade edibles — you will end up with butter that tastes like cannabis but barely works. Decarb first, infuse second. No exceptions.
Can I use leaves and stems instead of flower?
Yes, but expect weaker results. Leaves and stems contain small amounts of THC compared to flower (which is where most cannabinoids are concentrated). If you use trim, use twice as much by weight (14 to 28g per cup of butter) and expect a fraction of the potency. The butter will also be greener and more bitter. For the best results, use flower.
How long does homemade cannabutter last?
Refrigerated in an airtight container, cannabutter lasts 2 to 3 weeks. Frozen, it keeps for 6 months or longer. Always store it away from light and air, and label it with the date made and estimated mg of THC per tablespoon. Cannabis butter goes rancid at room temperature faster than regular butter because of trapped plant material.
How strong is homemade cannabutter?
Potency depends on the THC percentage of your flower, the amount you used, and your extraction efficiency (typically 40 to 60 percent on a stovetop). A typical batch with 7g of 20% THC flower yields roughly 600 to 700mg of THC across 1 cup of butter — about 35 to 45mg per tablespoon. Always calculate your batch using the dosage formula in this guide, and start with a small test portion before baking a full recipe.
Can I use a slow cooker to make cannabutter?
Yes. A slow cooker is actually easier because the low setting holds a steady temperature around 175°F, which is ideal for cannabis infusion. Combine butter, water, and decarbed flower in the crock, set it to LOW, and let it run for 4 to 6 hours with occasional stirring. Do not use the HIGH setting — it runs too hot and will degrade THC.
How do I know my cannabutter is done?
After 2 to 3 hours of simmering at 160 to 200°F, the butter should have a deep green-yellow color and a strong herbal aroma. The plant material will look darker and slightly crisped. The butter will be fully infused at this point — going longer does not add significant potency and risks degrading THC. Remove from heat and strain immediately.
Why is my cannabutter green?
Cannabutter is naturally green because of chlorophyll extracted from the plant material during infusion. More chlorophyll means greener butter and a more herbal taste. To reduce greenness, avoid squeezing the cheesecloth when straining (this forces chlorophyll through), use water in the infusion (chlorophyll binds to water), and strain at lower temperatures. Some people water-cure cannabis before decarbing to reduce chlorophyll further.
Can I make cannabutter without water?
Yes, but water is strongly recommended. Water keeps the butter from scorching, helps regulate temperature, and traps chlorophyll and some bitter compounds that separate out when you chill the butter. Without water, you need to be very attentive to temperature and the butter can burn in seconds. Water is a cheap, easy insurance policy.
Related Recipes & Guides
How to Make Cannabutter (Complete Guide)
The full technical walkthrough, with extra context on decarboxylation chemistry and troubleshooting.
THC Brownies Ultimate Guide
The classic cannabutter application. Dosing, effects, timeline, and recipes.
Cooking with Cannabis: Beginner's Guide
A broader intro to all things cannabis cooking — oils, butters, tinctures, and dosing.
Decarboxylation Complete Guide
Everything you need to know about the most important step in making edibles.
How to Make Edibles at Home
From cannabutter to cannabis-infused oils, tinctures, and finished recipes.
Edible Dosage Calculator
Run the dosage math automatically for any recipe and flower potency.
Cannabis products are for adults 21 and older only. Homemade edibles can be difficult to dose precisely — the potency estimate in this guide is based on typical stovetop infusion efficiency and may vary by ±20% in practice. Always start with a small test portion and wait at least 2 hours before consuming more. Keep all cannabis products, including cannabutter, clearly labeled and away from children and pets. The Library is a licensed New Jersey cannabis dispensary (License RE000228) serving West Orange and surrounding Essex County communities.
Corey Dishman
Cannabis Educator & Content Specialist
The Library of New Jersey
Corey is a cannabis education specialist at The Library with 5+ years of experience helping customers navigate the New Jersey cannabis market. He creates engaging, accurate content about cannabis products, regulations, and wellness.
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Disclaimer: Cannabis products are for adults 21 and older only. Cannabis should be consumed responsibly. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery under the influence of cannabis. The effects of cannabis vary by individual. Start with a low dose and wait before consuming more. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The Library operates under NJ Cannabis Retail License RE000228. For questions about NJ cannabis regulations, visit the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission.