This is a short guide that outlines my process for making cannabis avocado oil for edibles. Avocado is my personal favorite for making cannabis oil because it is easy on my digestion, generally healthy, and has a neutral flavor. Coconut oil would be another good choice. I have done this with olive oil too, but the flavor isn’t great for sweet baked goods which is what I usually make with the oil.
I typically make cannabis oil using vaped cannabis (ABV) predominantly. Since ABV contains a narrower range of cannabinoids, I will often include some decarbed fresh cannabis too to round out the cannabinoid profile a bit. I used 7 grams fresh cannabis and 24 grams ABV for the batch depicted in the images. I try to keep it around 1 oz of cannabis per 1 cup of oil so that the oil can fully saturate the herb. If you’d like to do more than 1 oz, then make sure to add enough oil so that the herb is completely soaked through with the oil.
Materials
- Up to ~28 grams of cannabis
- 1 cup avocado oil
- Oven safe dish for decarbing
- Parchment paper
- Small sauce pan for infusion
- Thermometer for infusion
- 1-2 tablespoons water
- Cheese cloth, rinsed under hot water for 5-10 min
- Fine mesh strainer
- Large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl
- Silicon spatula or spoon
- Mason jar (at least 8 fl oz)
Step 1: Decarboxylation
Preheat oven to 225° F. Line an oven safe dish with parchment paper. I used a pie pan. Break cannabis up by hand. You want popcorn kernel or sunflower seed sized pieces. It’s better to leave it coarse rather than grind the flower into a powder. Coarse pieces decarb more evenly and prevent the generation of plant dust that can pass through the cheese cloth and leave the oil gritty. Decarbing converts THCA (acidic, inactive cannabinoids) to THC (psychoactive cannabinoids). Leave cannabis in the oven for about 45 min. ABV does not need to be decarbed.
Step 2: Infusion
Place cannabis (decarbed and ABV in my case) into a small sauce pan and pour in the avocado oil. Mix the oil and cannabis until the flower is completely saturated in the oil. Add about a tablespoon of water, which serves as a buffer for the heat in case it gets too hot for the cannabinoids. Heat it gently until it reaches 170-180° F. Watch it carefully so that the temperature doesn’t exceed 200° F or else the cannabinoids will start to break down. The oil should be hot but not bubbling or frying. When doing a mixture of fresh and ABV, I will typically put the fresh cannabis in alone for an hour before adding the ABV. That way the oil has a chance to focus on dissolving the THC from the fresh cannabis before the much weaker ABV is added and the oil has to distribute across all of the surface area of the ABV as well. I tend to let it infuse for as long as my schedule for the day will allow, which is often up to eight hours. Three hours with the full mixture is usually the minimum that I will do. Four hours is probably a good general recommendation. Be sure to stir the mixture periodically.
Typically, I can get away with using a small burner on my stove top at the lowest setting. Sometimes I’ll move the sauce pan part way off the burner if it gets too hot. This requires more frequent stirring. Another option is to use a double boiler. Keep an eye on the temp and don’t let the cannabinoids break down.
Step 3: Straining
Place strainer in bowl of measuring cup. Arrange the cheese cloth over the strainer so that there are several layers covering the mesh and enough cloth hanging over the edges that it hangs down a bit. Don’t put more than three layers of cloth over the strainer because the cloth will absorb some oil that it won’t let for of. So the more cloth that comes in contact with the oil, the more oil will get lost. Having too few layers of cheese cloth will allow plant matter to get into the finished oil which will make it gritty and taste like hay.
Pour the infused oil cannabis material into the cheese cloth-lined strainer and press down on it using a utensil of some kind. This will help press remaining oil out of the herb material. Once pressed out well, gather the edges of the cheese cloth up around the herb and hold on one hand. Twist the ball of herb material in the cheese cloth to wring out any remaining oil. Careful, if the oil is still hot it could burn your hand. Try not to twist too hard or else you may push plant matter through the cheese cloth. If you don’t mind the grit and plant-taste then feel free to really lay into that thing.
Finished Product
You will always end up with slightly less oil than you started with. Some of it might get cooked off or lost in the cheese cloth or left in herb ball. At this point you can pour the oil into a mason jar and be done. I usually just cook it right into edibles if I have the time.
My favorite recipe to use cannabis oil in is Sally McKenney’s Dark Chocolate Coconut Blondies, though I tend leave out the chocolate and the coconut. You don’t want your edibles to be too tasty or else you might end up eating more than you intend, which has happened to me a time or two 🤭
Happy cooking!!