Australian Cannabutter Recipe
- Mary Stone
- Mar 5
- 6 min read
Australian Cannabutter Recipe
Before we get into the details of the Australian Cannabutter Recipe let's do a deep dive into what cannabutter is. If you'd like to cut to the chase you can click here to jump right to the recipe.
What is "Cannabutter" ?
In the simplest of terms, "cannabutter" is butter infused with the active ingredients from the cannabis plant. These active ingredients are usually the active cannabinoids that are contained in the plant matter.
Where did the term "cannabutter" come from?
The term "cannabutter" has been around perhaps since the 1980's.
However it is important to note that the concept of infusing cannabis into a carrier lipid or solvent, has been around for much longer than the term "cannabutter"
For instance, in parts of Asia it has been common throughout history to infuse ghee with cannabis and use that as an ingredient in the preparation of other dishes.
Can you use any cannabis plant matter to prepare cannabutter?
The short answer is no. For instance, cannabis has two sexes and the highest quality cannabutter is made from the mature flowering tops of the female cannabis plant.
Typically, cannabutter made from leaves or male flowers will not be as potent as what is made from the flowering tops of female cannabis plants.
The quality female cannabis plants depends mostly on high quality genetics. To make the best cannabutter in Australia you first want to start with the best cannabis seeds in Australia.
Cannabutter can also be made from dry sift, bubble hash, rosin, rosin chips and we will go through some details on each of these so you can decide which one of these suits your situation.
Cannabutter using dry sift or bubble hash - how much do you use?
This isn't an easy question to answer as it depends on the quality of the input ingredients. For instance, there can be different grades of dry sift or bubble hash based on different levels of micron filters used in the extraction process.
As a general guideline, you would use 1 to 15 grams of decarbed dry sift or bubble hash per 100 grams of butter depending on the potency of the input material and your desired potency of the butter you want to make.
What about making cannabutter from rosin or rosin chips?
Similar to dry sift or bubble hash, the exact amount to use is determined by the quality of the input ingredients.
Cannabis flower rosin can be quite potent and therefore it could be between 1 to 10 grams of decarbed rosin per hundred grams of butter, depending on the potency of the input rosin and the desired potency of the butter.
If the rosin is made from bubble hash then the amount used is a lot less and typically you would not need more than 5g per 100g of butter using decarbed high quality hash rosin.
Rosin chips are the left-over slabs of crushed flower or bubble hash after they have been through a rosin press and most of the active ingredients have been removed.
It's very difficult to ascertain exactly how many chips to use as there are many variables as to how much active ingredient content is left in the individual chips.
As a rule though, it's best to remove the chips from the rosin bags and if it is flower then you would perhaps use around 60g of decarbed chips per 100g of butter, subject to quality of input material and the desired level of output potency.
If the rosin chips are bubble hash rosin chips then 20 to 30 grams of decarbed bubble hash rosin chips can be used per 100g of butter dependent on the quality of the input material and the desired level of output potency.
What about decarbing? What is it and do I have to do it?
Decarbing is converting the active ingredients in the plant matter or extract into a form that is "active" so that it can be better absorbed by the digestive system and better utilized by the endocannabinoid system present in humans.
Most people decarb their input material before using it as an ingredient in any infusion such as cannabutter.
Some people will tell you that decarbing is mandatory and others will tell you that decarbing is optional as the process to infuse cannabutter itself applies heat over a period of time, as does using the infused cannabutter when in baked in recipes where it is used as an ingredient.
It can be said it is a personal choice.
To decarb flower the temperature is 115 degrees Celsius however that can change depending on the strain and desired outcome.
The time is around 30 minutes in the oven on baking paper in a flat tray. It can take longer or shorter depending on the quality of the material and the desired results.
With bubble hash or dry sift, the temperature is the same but the time taken needs careful monitoring as typically the volume of the product being decarbed is significantly less than if it was flower.
With rosin, its best to decarb between 105 to 120 degrees Celsius and the time is usually a minimum of 30 minutes, again dependent on the volume and quality of the input material and the desired outcome. Depending on the volume of rosin to be decarbed you may choose to do that in a rosin press using a decarb capsule or using a glass jar in an oven.
Let's Get to This Australian Cannabutter Recipe
Before we start, its important to know that as this recipe covers making cannabutter using a variety of input materials, it is important that any cannabutter made using this recipe is tested in a small amount before using it as an ingredient in any other recipes such as cookies or brownies etc.
The Process
As described above, the first step is to decarb your input material if you choose to do so.
Proceed to preheat your oven and use one of methods described above to decarb your input material.
Keep checking the material throughout the decarb process and ensure it does not burn.
Making the Cannabutter
This part of the process takes a lot more time and attention. This is because to make a quality infusion, it takes time.
Some people infuse for as little as an hour while others infuse for 4 to 6 hours.
It depends on the quality of the material and the level of potency desired in the cannabutter produced.
As a rule, the longer the infusion time the more potent the cannabutter can be.
A good guideline is to use a 4 hour infusion time.
It's also worthwhile to note that it is best to use unsalted butter so that you can more easily control the salt level in any dishes that you use the cannabutter in later.
This process does not need a double boiler set up. What this recipe uses, is additional water to stop the butter from burning. By cooling the cannabutter later we can drain any left over water easily.
So let's get started.
You need:
100g unsalted and clarified butter
2 cups of water
Medium saucepan
Wooden or heat proof spoon (not metal)
Thermometer
Cheesecloth or micron mesh strainer
Container to store the cannabutter (pro tip - a jug with a lid and pourer is useful to strain any leftover water easily)
The steps:
Put the saucepan on LOW HEAT and add the water and butter
Wait for the butter to fully melt
Add the amount of decarbed or non decarbed cannabis material that you desire
For a uniquely Australian twist, consider adding dried quandongs, Davidson Plum, Riberry, Kutjera, Muntries or even Finger Limes
Mix everything very well using the wooden spoon
Simmer carefully on LOW HEAT for 4 hours
Ensure that you stir the mixture every 20 to 30 minutes throughout and measure the temperature of the mixture
Don't ever let the temperature go over 80 degrees Celsius
Once the infusion time is over, strain the mixture into a container using a cheesecloth or micron mesh strainer
Allow the mixture to cool in a fridge so that the cannabutter and water separate
If there is any water left once the cannabutter is solidified, drain that water away before putting the cannabutter into storage for later use
How to use the Cannabutter
Cannabutter is used to substitute butter in any recipe that requires it. It could be cheesecake, it could be biscuits, fudge, brownies.
You could also use cannabutter in savory dishes or dips.
If you'd like to use it in salad dressings that is also possible, just dilute a teaspoon of cannabutter into some virgin olive oil and then make your salad dressing just like you normally do.
Keep an eye on our blog as we will have several recipes that use cannabutter in the near future.