How to Make Marijuana Infused Cooking Oil

Cindy Lou December 6, 2011 50
How to Make Marijuana Infused Cooking Oil

Marijuana infused cooking oil is a great ingredient for turning your favorite meals or treats into potent marijuana medicine. Marijuana oil infusions are easy to make and, for the health conscious, lower in saturated fat than marijuana infused butter. The taste is definitely different; but some recipes do call for oil. So hear you go.

Kitchen Tools

You will need basic kitchen tools to make marijuana oil. So hopefully you are not living in a bachelor pad. If you are, this might be a good time to shop for housewares. If you aren’t that brave you can follow the links and buy them on Amazon. Cooking with cannabis can get pretty messy, and the aftermath is a chore to clean up.  So you may not want to splurge on the most expensive designer kitchen accouterments available –unless, of course, you spot a truly fabulous cooking apron. Then go big.

Estimating Dosage

Estimating dosage can be a bit tricky, and will depend largely on the cannabinoid content of the marijuana you are using. Marijuana infused oil can be made from leaf, trichome rich trim or manicure, small scrap buds, normal buds of any quality, as well as kief and hash. The best method is to make a batch and test a small amount. The effects of cannabis edibles take much longer to kick in, so make sure you wait about two hours before you increase a dose. If you are trying to maintain a consistent strength over time with different types of marijuana, consider having our friends at SC Laboratories test a sample for you. They can let you know the cannabinoid content and give you the details on exactly what you are working with.

Use the following estimated amounts of marijuana for each six cups of oil

  • Leaf – six to eight ounces
  • Trim – four ounces
  • Buds, big or small – two to three ounces
  • Kief and Hash – This depends; but a dose is between 1/20th and 1/10th of a gram. So it may be best to decide what you are making with the oil first, how many servings, and then figure how much is required for a dose per serving.

I prefer to make my oils and butters a bit on the strong side. It is better to substitute some regular oil for part of the marijuana oil than to risk ruining a batch of goodies by using too much oil. Sometimes figuring out the correct dose comes down to trial and error. So be sure to experiment before sharing with medical patients who may not be used to hard hitting edibles.

Prep

Spread your marijuana out in a large bowl and sort out any stems or unwanted material. Anything small enough to fit through the stainer may end up in your finished product. So be sure to remove all non-marijuana debris.

Put the marijuana in the blender, coffee grinder or food processor, and chop it to a size of about a millimeter to three millimeters– the size of most crushed, dried oregano.

Oil It Up

Heat up six cups canola oil in your crock-pot on low and allow it to warm up. Once the sides of the crock-pot start getting too warm to touch, stir in the ground up cannabis. Let the crock-pot cook on low throughout the day, stirring every few hours. In the evening, turn the crock-pot off and let it cool down over night. In the morning turn it back on and stir again. Continue this cooking and cooling process for three days.

After the last day of cooking, carefully pour the contents through the strainer and into a large bowl. Press the leaf material in the strainer with a spoon or spatula to remove as much lingering oil as possible. Throw out or compost the remaining plant matter, and pour the warm oil into containers that can be tightly sealed. Once the oil has cooled, tightly seal the lids for storage. Marijuana infused oil in tightly closed mason jars can be stored for at least two months, longer if refrigerated.

Canola oil is ideal for most baked goods, but this same method works perfectly well for infusing virgin olive oil with marijuana. Any recipe calling for olive oil will work fine. My favorite is dipping french bread in marijuana infused olive oil with a little balsamic vinegar and garlic. Refrigerated olive oil will solidify and turn cloudy but becomes clear and liquid again at room temperature.

Here is a helpful article on storing olive oil.

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50 Comments »

  1. Fernando June 22, 2012 at 9:35 am -

    Hi – all of the olive oil infused products I have seen (pictures and videos) show the end product as dark green. I understand how the color gets to be this dark, given the cooking or infusion process. My question is: is there a way to make a cannabis infused olive oil that is light gold in color, without diminishing the THC potency levels?

    Your guidance is greatly appreciated.

    • Rambo June 22, 2012 at 11:14 am -

      The dark green color is from the chlorophyll from the plants leaves. To help make a lighter cannabis infused oil, first you can soak the dried cannabis leaves/buds/trim in room temperature water overnight to. This will leach some of the chlorophyll from the plants leaves. Then allow the material to fully dry before making your oil. If you use kief or bubble hash to make your oil, you won’t need this step as there is no chlorophyll in the trichomes themselves and only a little of the chlorophyll should be present in the material. Note, you should never make oil or other edibles from butane hash oil as it contains the carcinogenic chemical Benzene. If the BHO is properly purged of butane this may not be as big of an issue when it is smoked, but when cooked with, BHO releases the Benzene into the body… Bad news for sick people. So, cook with either trim, kief or bubble hash, not BHO

    • Doc November 9, 2013 at 10:45 pm -

      I dont like to resurect dead threads; however, the golden oil problem had me researching for awhile… instead of doing a crock pot budder, why not make a methylhydrate with your favorite decarboxylated bud, strain, carbon filter, run it through bleaching clay, then distill off the methyl. The CCO or Concentrate can then be thinned by whatever oil or solvent you need to use. Still doing my research on using a dextran filter medium for this. Any more efficient/ effective ways to do this? Im always looking to save time without killing my quality. I found 250° for 20min works great to decarb. Happy cooking.

    • roy December 1, 2013 at 3:02 pm -

      from the times i have made oil – i find that using
      soybean oil instead of olive or other oils
      is the best way to avoid stomach distress
      and the color is most always light green
      hope that helps

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  2. Mark June 22, 2012 at 10:20 am -

    I am going to go out on a limb here as I really don’t know the answer to this. I am going to guess that you could use a tincture with an oil of your choice to achieve what your looking for. Again this is just my best guess.

    • Cannabis Cam October 14, 2012 at 2:46 pm -

      you dont use cooking oil for tincture, mainly alcohol/glycerin lol. if u did i would imagine the taste would be quite bad

  3. cody November 30, 2012 at 8:11 pm -

    hey i have a huge question, i only want to make like 2 cups of weed oil (sorry i dont know the correct name) how much bud would i have to use in order to make not killer edibles but enough to make a regular smoker fall on there ass?

    • Rambo November 30, 2012 at 8:17 pm -

      Cody, it depends on the potency of the weed you are working with, and how many doses of edibles those two cups of “weed oil” are going to be making.

  4. Ann December 28, 2012 at 10:58 pm -

    If using for medical pain reasons and I chose the french bread dipping idea, how much dipping would have to be done?. I realize all answers depend on potency of buds used, but hypothetically what would be a good answer if we consider the oil has been made properly etc. Also, would the aprox 90 minute ingestion rule apply for waiting for relief of pain/results? I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the dosing measurement here. I’m not interested in the high, I’m interested in getting rid of the pain. I’m so sick of pain meds and the fact they are not working. Thanks

    • Rambo December 29, 2012 at 2:48 pm -

      One hour to 90 minutes is usually the longest it should take to start feeling pain relief from and ingested edible like olive oil. If you purchased it at a dispensary then hopefully it would have some indicator on the label as to how many mg of THC per teaspoon or tablespoon. mg of THC is not the same as mg of marijuana since most marijuana tests no higher then about 20% THC and some much lower. A normal dose of ingested THC ranges between about 40-100 mg THC depending on the the person and the level of pain. 1 Gram (1000mg) of Cannabis that tested at 20% THC would therefore theoretically produce an oil with 200 mg of THC. It should be noted that not all of the THC will necessarily be extracted by the oil, so likely it will be less then this possibly by as much as half but I haven’t really done the math. Also, remember if you are making your own, or have purchased some from someone who does not know what they are doing, cannabis that will be ingested needs to be decarboxylated first or you probably will feel not benefit. I hope this helps.

  5. Boboh February 15, 2013 at 8:33 pm -

    Why the cooling and reheating process. ? II usually just let the slow cooker go for about 18 hours. Always looking for a more potent snack though . Does this process help the infusion ?

    • Rambo February 18, 2013 at 8:10 pm -

      I have been told by many that this process works great but I have not personally seen side by side lab tested results that prove one way is better than the other.

  6. MaryJayne February 21, 2013 at 3:33 pm -

    I am a MMJ caregiver and grower and I am just wondering why you shut the crock pot off at night and turn on again in the morning instead of just leaving it on throughout the night. Would you use the same process for making an infusion with coconut or jojoba oil for use with skin ailments or scar tissue?…I’m told those oil infusions work great to help alleviate pain in those areas. Thanks for the help!!

    • Rambo March 3, 2013 at 9:26 pm -

      I know this method works, but I don’t know why exactly. I don’t see Cindy very often but I’ll try to remember to ask. One thing to consider is ware and tare on the crock pot and fire safety. I know several people who have had a lot of luck using patrolium jelly or bees way ointment for skin issues. With beeswax though, I think you need to make an alcohol extract first. I know someone who makes these professionally. I will inquire about how he goes about it.

  7. kungfumadness March 4, 2013 at 7:26 pm -

    Hi, is there a way that u can infused into liquor for medical use?

  8. PainFree420 April 21, 2013 at 3:44 pm -

    Thank you very much for this recipe! I’ve been researching on making infused olive oil and this seems to be the best one. I make infused coconut oil for baking and this will be my first time making infused olive oil.

    I’m on to the tinctures next. As a medical cannabis patient I find ingesting works better for me. Thanks!

  9. lindsay May 22, 2013 at 9:02 pm -

    Do I have to use canola oil or can I use vegetable oil? If I can’t use vegetable oil then why not?

    • Rambo May 22, 2013 at 11:17 pm -

      Vegetable oil is fine as well as any other kind of oil you dream up.

  10. CD420 June 28, 2013 at 10:35 pm -

    I have Crohn’s Disease and have just recently been reading about Cannaoil. Does it help reduce inflammation in the intestines? I have severe scarring in my small intestines and this causes malabsorption of calories and nutrients as well as chronic pain while digesting. Will cannaoil help this? Olive oil is already a huge part of my diet, so this recipe is perfect for me. I’m just looking for an easier way to gain weight and help my pain because smoking it doesnt seem like the healthiest way to go when treating with MMJ. Thanks!

    • Rambo July 9, 2013 at 1:18 pm -

      Smoking is not the healthiest way to ingest cannabis and cannaoil may be a good option for you. You’ll just have to try and see how it works for you. If olive oil is already a big part of your diet, I would give it a try. Its easy to make and really, what do you have to loose.

    • 420Myst October 27, 2013 at 3:51 pm -

      If you are looking for weight gain try using coconut oil, irs high in good fats, and can also be medicated

  11. Annah July 14, 2013 at 3:25 pm -

    I’ve tried making cooking oil for edibles once before, with no success, so I’m considering trying this method. Is slow-cooking the only way to do this? I don’t actually own a crock pot, so I was hoping to find a way to do it on the stove.

    • Rambo July 15, 2013 at 8:38 pm -

      Slow cookers are very inexpensive. I just bought one for $30 that works fine. You can do it on the stove but you have to keep the temperature very low to keep it from burning. I advise the slow cooker.

  12. flo marie September 3, 2013 at 7:34 pm -

    Hi, I have a question… I have anxiety, IBS and rheumatoid arthritis. What would be the best way to take weed for my ailments??

    • Rambo September 3, 2013 at 7:52 pm -

      Thank you for the question. I wish I had an easy answer for you. Unfortunately you will probably have to do a bit of experimenting to find a method that works best for your symptoms and your lifestyle. If you symptoms are sporadic or effect you most during certain times of the day, smoking or vaporizing may be the best solution. If you need constant relieve from you symptoms, some kind of edible might be best as the effects will last much longer. I am not a doctor or alternative medicine healer though, I would consult someone more qualified or do some experimenting and see what works best for you.

  13. concernedabouwaste September 10, 2013 at 3:10 pm -

    How long does the oil last? I’ve heard 2 months I was just wondering if anyone actually knew for sure. Has anyone used thc oil after three months noticed a difference in potency?

    • Rambo October 2, 2013 at 9:10 pm -

      the pontency might not change but oil like butter can go rancid. It can be frozen or refriged to make it last longer

  14. Gordo September 18, 2013 at 11:10 am -

    I am surprised no one has asked or mentioned about using hemp oil in place of canola or olive. 😀 I read somewhere that this could be used instead. To me, that would be the ultimate cannabis oil! In your opinion, would that work? – best perhaps even?

    • Rambo October 2, 2013 at 8:44 pm -

      oil is oil, any will work

      • Adrian January 24, 2014 at 6:10 pm -

        Hey Rambo =)
        Can you help me out with your opinion, please?
        I used 1/2 ounce and 14 ounces of Coconut oil.
        I used a small grinder, ground the product. Put it in the crock pot after the oil melted in a couple inches of water. Kept the crock on low and then put it to “keep warm” as it still simmered/slightly bubbled on “keep warm” Stirring occasionally. After 24 hours I poured it through a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth into glass bowls, pushing all of the oil out with a spoon. When the oil separated, I took them out of the refrigerator the next night and cut the pancakes into pieces and froze most. I put some in a glass covered bowl in the fridge..Based on what I read, a dosage should be 1 teaspoon, hearing different from friends, I used 1/4 teaspoon in a cup of tea the first night… Nothing.. The next night I used 1 teaspoon in a cup of tea.. nothing… what did I do wrong??? Or should I just consume more? =( Very frustrated

        • JunkieRising April 12, 2014 at 10:50 am -

          It looks like you skipped decarbing. That, from my understanding, can make all the difference in the world.

  15. jigga December 3, 2013 at 7:14 am -

    What about the amazon links?

  16. Faroukh December 21, 2013 at 2:37 am -

    Does one have to to slow cook weed for hours? i cooked it for an hour and got results . Was the potency of the resulting oil affected ?

  17. Mary January 4, 2014 at 9:52 am -

    I don’t have a crock pot. Would it be possible to prepare in the oven? Also, I’ve read other recipes that include the stems. Would this affect the overall product?

    Appreciate your time.

  18. Hoot Gibson February 4, 2014 at 7:18 am -

    @;Painfree420

    Blessings and thanks for your time,I have just finished my first run of coconut oil kief, I wanted to ask you,when finished drying did you have the kief particulate on the bottom as with butter?,,,lol,,all I could see in my first time mind was trashing all my beautiful product!
    just looking for some reasurrance,you knoe how preciouse this can be.
    I look forward to your reply
    p.s../.10 g of blond Grapefruit Kief..to 10 oz of coconut oil

  19. jo February 5, 2014 at 12:30 am -

    I’d love to see some information on the fat % of the oil in relation to the thc content of the pot, meaning, what it would take to make an oil that is saturated, but I guess one could just put as much pot as possible into as little oil as possible, use it, then try reusing the pot to see if there’s more thc still in it.

  20. jo February 5, 2014 at 12:36 am -

    I understand that the heating and cooling of the oil speeds up the dissolving of thc by fat, but isn’t It possible that the thc be destroyed at a certain temperature?

    Is it not better (more potent) to use the oil as slightly warm bread dip rather than cooking it in a batch of brownies?

  21. Chapsmack March 16, 2014 at 8:21 am -

    Could you use hemp oil instead of canola or olive oil?

  22. JunkieRising April 12, 2014 at 10:56 am -

    Hey, I’m loving your approach to all this and how you’re keeping us in the loop-of-learning 🙂
    I’m wondering if you’ve tested variations between different oils- olive, canola, coconut,& hemp seeming to be the basic 4 mentioned. I’m curious because from my reading elsewhere, coconut oil is way better at actually accepting the goodies we’re trying to extract without destroying them or binding them.
    Hehehe, I can’t wait for the day when cannabis cooking shows hit the TV :p

  23. earlybird April 12, 2014 at 6:19 pm -

    Hi. i make a lot of butter for a medical patient. i’m looking to increase potency. I do a fair amount of cooking with cannabis. the recipe above indicates letting the oil cool and then heating again and cooling for a total of three cycles. my question ls….have any tests been done on the potency of the finished oil either after just a single cooking cycle and after 3 cycleS? Does it really increase the potency of the oil? appreciate the help….

  24. risinstar April 23, 2014 at 5:05 pm -

    Hi. If my brownie recipe requires 3 tbsp of oil, how much vegetable oil do I put in it, since i will be heating it on and off for 3 days ?

  25. Kim May 16, 2014 at 4:23 am -

    Would this work with smaller amounts. I would like to try with only 1/2 oz. How much olive oil should I use in crock pot?
    Also, I would like to know what to expect. What effects will this have on me? How will I feel?
    Can you tell I am a newbe?
    Thank you

  26. john July 16, 2014 at 7:37 pm -

    you will feel high

  27. kat July 22, 2014 at 10:02 am -

    What do I need to extract THC to make smoking oil, and what are the steps

  28. seth August 17, 2014 at 11:31 pm -

    so the benzene levels in bho aren’t tolerable for ingestion or cooking? All the solvents used except for one I know of contain benzene at some levels. That is exactly why I disapprove of Rick Simpson’s method of using Naptha due to the fact it contains higher levels and is cooked down which I imagine would further concentrate it. But he orally ingests his oil and the bho if purged correctly contains much lower levels also according to the purity of you butane I’m told. So if its safe to eat, and safe to vape then why would it be unacceptable to eat? I need measureable levels if you have them or a place that could supply actual research conclusions if you have them…