How To Make Your Own Edibles

Add a touch of cannabis magic to your culinary creations. Baking and cooking edibles from scratch opens up a world of creativity and allows you to tailor your cannabis experience to your liking. Beyond the simplicity of pre-made products, this blog is your guide to unlocking the art of homemade edibles, from the science of decarboxylation to the creative infusion process.

Step 1: Select your infusion

The first step to making your edibles is choosing what ingredients you want to infuse. Some of the most popular ingredients for THC infusion include:

Olive oil: Ideal for savory dishes, olive oil can be infused with cannabis to add a subtle, herbaceous note to your recipes. It’s perfect for making salad dressing or dipping with a good crusty loaf of bread.

Butter: Perfect for baking or cooking, infusing butter with cannabis is a classic method that allows easy integration into various recipes. Use butter as a base for sweet treats of all kinds.

Coconut oil: Another versatile option, coconut oil is popular for both sweet and savory edibles and has a high-fat content that binds well with cannabinoids.

Avocado oil: An excellent choice for infusion, avocado oil has a milder flavor than coconut oil but still with the high-fat content cannabinoids need for best infused results.

Honey: Infused honey is a great addition to teas, desserts, and even salad dressings. It provides a sweet and discreet way to enjoy cannabis.

Maple syrup: Elevate your breakfast or brunch with cannabis-infused maple syrup, perfect for a wake-and-bake or sweetening up your afternoon coffee.

Can I buy pre-made cannabutter or oil?

You sure can. Ingredients like the ones for Chef For Higher skip the infusion stage so you can get straight to making your edibles. Whether drizzling dressing on a salad or putting coconut oil in brownies opens the door to a new culinary adventure with these pre-made infusions.

Chef For Higher honey ($50), with 10mg THC per teaspoon and 240mg total THC per bottle

Chef For Higher coconut oil ($50), with 10mg THC per teaspoon and 240mg total THC per bottle

Chef For Higher EVOO ($50), with 10mg THC per teaspoon and 240mg total THC per bottle

Step 2: Pick your recipe

Want something savory, sweet, umami? The world of self-made edibles is only limited by your imagination. The world of cannabis edibles goes way beyond baking brownies or chocolate chip cookies (although there’s certainly nothing wrong with a classic). Dream it, and you can make it.

Get some inspiration from Food52 and Food & Wine before you head to the kitchen.

Step 3: Gather supplies. What equipment do you need to make edibles?

Making edibles at home will require a few essential items to ensure a successful outcome. We recommend gathering the following items before diving into the process:

Oven

Baking sheet

Parchment paper

Cheesecloth or hash bag

Saucepan or crockpot

Your ingredients of choice (olive oil, butter, etc.)

Cannabis flower from The Travel Agency

Which strains should you choose?

Just like nearly everything in cannabis, your relationship with the plant is a highly individualized one. Making edibles is not the time to experiment with a brand-new cultivar. Select a cultivar that you’ve tried in the past and that helps you achieve the desired effects.

How much cannabis do you need to make edibles?

This depends on what you’re making, how much of it you’re making, and the strength of the edibles. This involves a little bit of math.

Check to see how much THC is in the flower you purchased. For purposes of this example, let’s say your chosen flower contains 20% THC.

Convert how much cannabis you have into milligrams. For example, if you have 7 grams (an eighth) of flower, you have 7,000 mg of flower.

Multiply the amount of flower you have in milligrams by the THC percentage to determine how much THC is in the flower you bought. So for this example, you can divide 7,000 mg of flower by 20 percent THC to get the estimated amount.

Step 4: Decarb the cannabis flower. Learn how to decarb

If you’ve chosen the DIY path for crafting your cannabis edibles, the crucial first step is decarboxylation. This process is vital for transforming raw cannabis flower into its active form, unlocking the full potential of cannabinoids like THC to enhance both the flavor and potency of your edibles.

To decarb your cannabis for edibles, grind it up and bake it in the oven at around 250°F for around 20 minutes. Once done, let it cool before using it in your chosen infusion. Once it’s ready, mix it into your chosen infused medium (more on that below).

Want a shortcut, or don’t have a knack in the kitchen? There are also devices you can buy that take the guesswork out of decarboxylation. Machines like the Levo II, Ardent FX, and Magical Butter simplify infusion. You won’t need to follow these decarbing steps — or need many of the supplies listed earlier in this article — if you use one of these devices.

Step 5: Calculate the dose and make your edibles

There’s a relatively straightforward method to simplify dosage calculation. Here are three key steps:

Start by estimating the THC content in your cannabis flower. This can be done using the package information or information pulled from lab testing.

Divide that number by 1,000 to establish the per-milligram amount.

Calculate the total milligrams in your infusion and the volume of infusion you’ll use in your recipe. Divide this number by the number of servings your recipe yields to determine the per-serving dose.

Here’s an example to help put things into perspective:

If you used a half-ounce (14 grams, or 14,000mg) of cannabis flower with 20% THC content to create 2 cups of butter, that would mean 2,800mg of THC went into those two cups. If you use 1/2 cup of infused butter to produce a batch of 24 cookies, the batter contains 700mg of THC. Divide this total by the number of servings (24), and each cookie will contain an approximate THC content of 30mg.

It’s worth noting that some of the flower’s potency will be lost during the process of decarboxylation and making your infused creation, so it’s unlikely to be quite so potent. Better safe than sorry, though. It’s best to calculate edible dosages this way to avoid accidentally overconsuming. Remember, you can always take more if you haven’t quite taken flight with your first bite.

Check out the High Times guide for a more in-depth explanation of this formula. 

Tips for making your own edibles

Whether you made your own infusion or you picked up a bottle of oil from Union Square Travel Agency, here are some essential tips for putting your infused goodies to use.

Maintain low temps: Keeping temperatures low helps prevent the degradation of cannabinoids like THC.

Experiment gradually: When trying a new recipe or dosage, always start with a small amount of your infused ingredient. You can always adjust in subsequent batches.

Mindful dosing: Be aware of your potency, especially when cooking for others. Clearly label your edibles to avoid overconsumption.

Store properly: Preserve the freshness and potency of your infused ingredients and your edibles by storing them in airtight containers. Keep them in a cool, dark place for extended shelf life.

Is it worth making edibles at home?

Your own infused creations bring a personal, caring touch to the holidays and to gifts year-round. They offer something unique and memorable for the adults in your life to enjoy and elevate the season. The work is well worth the payoff, even if you’re a novice baker or cook.

If you’re not inclined to navigate the entire process, don’t hesitate to explore ready-made edibles from The Travel Agency. Our curated selection offers a hassle-free way to enjoy infused treats without the need for any hands-on prep.

Recipes for infused butter or oil

After successfully decarbing your plant matter and determining your dosage, the next step is infusing your ingredient of choice. Follow these steps to create a potent and flavorful infusion for your homemade edibles, using either butter or oil.

How to make canna-oil

Blend: In a saucepan or slow cooker, combine equal parts of your chosen oil and the decarbed cannabis flower. You may want to add a small amount of water to the stovetop to prevent scorching.

Infuse: Let the flower and oil steep for about 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure consistency. Take the saucepan off the heat and let the mixture continue steeping for an additional 30 minutes. This process will take about 4 hours in a slow cooker on low heat.

Strain: Use a cheesecloth or strain to filter your canna oil and remove any residual plant matter.

How to make cannabutter

Prep the butter: Set a small or medium-sized pot over low heat. Add one cup of water and one cup of butter, and allow to simmer until the butter is completely melted.

Add the trim: Once the butter liquifies, introduce the decarboxylated cannabis and stir the mixture thoroughly.

Continue to simmer: Allow the combined mixture to simmer on low heat for 2 to 3 hours. Stir periodically, making sure it does not come to a boil.

Strain: Utilize your funnel, cheesecloth, or hash bag to strain the infused mixture into a container.

Cool, store, and separate: Let the strained mixture cool down, then store it in the fridge until the water and butter separate.

Elevate your edibles with The Travel Agency

Ready to make edibles yourself? The premium selection of cannabis flower at The Travel Agency offers plenty of options for creative, personalized, and potent infusions you can make at home. Stop by our Union Square, Downtown Brooklyn, and Fifth Avenue shops, place an order for delivery, or visit our online menu to see what we have in stock to elevate your next night in the kitchen.