How to Make Cannabutter: Step-by-Step With Safe Dosing (2026)

By James Buddsey · Updated October 30, 2026

Cannabutter is butter infused with cannabis, made by heating ground flower to activate its THC (decarboxylation), then simmering it gently in butter and straining out the plant material. It is easy to make and very easy to overdo: homemade butter has an unknown strength, and eaten THC acts slowly. Calculate a maximum dose per serving, use a tiny first serving of 2.5 to 5 mg of THC, and wait at least two hours before eating more.

Making cannabutter needs no special equipment and uses no dangerous solvents, which is why it is the standard home method for edibles. The hard part is dosing. This guide gives a step-by-step method, the math to estimate potency, start-low serving rules, and the safety and legal points for Washington and Oregon. Some figures below, such as oven temperatures, come from informal community sources, because we found no official government recipe. Treat them as starting points.

Cannabutter at a Glance

Why Cannabis Must Be Heated First

Raw cannabis flower contains mostly the acid form of THC, which is not intoxicating. Heat converts it to active THC in a step called decarboxylation. That is why eating raw flower does little, and why smoking works instantly. For butter, you decarboxylate the flower first and then infuse it into fat, since cannabinoids dissolve in fat.

Eaten THC behaves differently from smoked THC. The National Cancer Institute reports that oral bioavailability is low and variable, about 6% to 20%, that THC peaks 1 to 6 hours after ingestion, and that the liver converts oral THC into 11-OH-THC, a potent psychoactive metabolite. Inhaled THC peaks in about 2 to 10 minutes. That gap is the source of most bad edible experiences.

What You Need

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• Cannabis flower, ground coarsely, in a measured amount (see the dosing math below). Weigh it.
• Baking sheet and parchment, oven thermometer
• Saucepan or double boiler, spatula, kitchen thermometer
• Cheesecloth and a strainer, glass container with a lid
• Water (about 1 cup, optional, helps keep the butter from scorching)

How to Make Cannabutter, Step by Step

1. Decarboxylate. Spread coarsely broken flower on a parchment-lined sheet and bake. Informal community guides commonly cite about 245°F for 50 minutes or about 270°F for 60 minutes. Use an oven thermometer, because home ovens run hot or cold.
2. Melt the butter. Melt it with a little water in a saucepan or double boiler over low heat.
3. Add the cannabis. Stir in the decarboxylated flower.
4. Infuse gently. Keep the mixture at a low simmer, roughly 160°F to 190°F by informal guides, for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Do not let it boil or scorch.
5. Strain. Pour through cheesecloth into a container. Let it drip; do not squeeze hard, which pushes bitter plant matter through.
6. Chill. Refrigerate until the butter solidifies on top. Lift it off and discard the water below.
7. Label. Mark the container “CANNABIS,” with the date and the estimated mg of THC per teaspoon, and keep it in the refrigerator out of reach of children.

The strength depends on your flower. Do not copy another person’s amounts without checking your own flower’s THC percentage.

How to Estimate Potency

You can only estimate the strength of homemade butter. The upper limit is straightforward: multiply the weight of flower (in grams) by its THC percentage and by 10, which gives milligrams of THC. For example, 3.5 grams of flower at 20% THC is at most 700 mg of THC. Real butter is weaker, because decarboxylation and infusion are not complete, and the exact loss is unknown without lab testing.

Then divide by the number of servings. If you stir that 700 mg maximum into a pan of 28 brownies, each could contain up to 25 mg, which is five times the 5 mg unit and far above Washington’s 10 mg store limit. To end up with 5 mg servings, you would use less butter, less flower, or cut more servings. Because the true strength is lower than the maximum but unknown, start with a small taste and treat the maximum as the safe assumption.

How Much Should You Eat? Start Low and Go Slow

• First time: eat no more than 2.5 to 5 mg of THC. This is harm-reduction practice, not an official dose.
• Wait at least two hours, and longer if you have eaten a large meal. The NCI says peak levels can take up to 6 hours.
• Never redose in the same session. Raise the dose the next day, in small steps.
• Do not drive, and do not combine with alcohol.

NIDA warns that people may use more of an edible because it takes longer to work, increasing the likelihood of serious negative health effects, and that children eating cannabis edibles can result in hospitalization. See our cannabis dosage guide for more.

Safety and Storage

• Label every batch and keep it locked away from children and pets. Butter looks like ordinary butter.
• Tell everyone who will eat the food, and never serve cannabis to someone who has not agreed.
• Stir the butter thoroughly into batter so THC is evenly distributed, or one cookie will carry most of it.
• If someone has taken too much and feels very ill, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or 911.

What About Butane or Solvent Methods?

You will find online guides that extract cannabis with butane or other solvents. We do not cover them, and neither should you try them. They create fire and explosion hazards, and Washington’s RCW 69.50.450 permits explosive-gas extraction only by licensed processors. Butter infusion needs no solvent. For other infused products, see our tinctures guide, the firecrackers guide and Cannabis 101.

Cannabutter FAQ

For adults 21+ in legal states. General information, not medical advice.