The Best Cannabis Coconut Oil Recipe in 2023 (tested weed oil recipe with photos) - Wake and Bake (2024)

When I want to make potent, really healthy edibles recipes or topicals, this cannabis coconut oil is my go-to weed oil.

Cannabis coconut oil has been the most popular recipe here at Wake + Bake since I started in 2013.

And it’s no wonder why. I use this cannabis coconut oil almost every day.

Whether I’m rubbing it into sore muscles, or mixing it into a pain relieving CBD salve, baking it into vegan/paleo edibles, tossing a teaspoon into a smoothie or some coffee, or cracking open a jar of weed lube, I seem to find a way to use cannabis coconut oil in new ways all of the time.

Coconut oil edibles are great for specialty diets like paleo, keto, vegan and carnivore. If you’re avoiding dairy and are trying to make the healthiest weed edibles possible, this is a great base infusion.

You can make a big batch of this cannabis coconut oil and plug it into any of your favorite recipes or use it straight from the jar. Rub it on achy muscles, incorporate it in your favorite weed edibles, or use it as an informal weed lube.

Read on to find out more about cannabis coconut oil and to grab the recipe. I can’t wait to see what you use it for!

Why is this Cannabis Coconut Oil the best weed oil for edibles recipes?

Coconut oil is an accessible and versatile base for creating strong edibles recipes, topicals, and medicinal edibles because of its high saturated fat content.

Science says it’s capable of extracting up to 82% of cannabinoids.

Cannabis coconut oil is adaptable to different diets. So you can make ketogenic edibles, vegan edible recipes, and paleo cannabis recipes, and tastes really good. If you don’t have a coconut allergy, making cannabis coconut oil is one of the best ways to ingest cannabinoids.

I spent almost a year of my life trying to put cannabis coconut oil in every edible and topical I could think of (and ended up writing several books about it… like this cannabis cookbook).

No matter what you decide to make, make sure to test your weed oil’s potency first. When using high THC cannabis, the result is very strong and it’s not fun to overdo it on edibles.

Trust me, I had a run-in with a cannabis-infused grilled cheese that I’ll never forget and I want to help everyone avoid that if possible.

Check out this post on calculating homemade cannabis coconut oil dosage and use the dosage calculator so you can get an idea of how potent your homemade cannabis coconut oil is.

Should I put lecithin in my cannabis coconut oil or edibles recipes to make them stronger?

If you’ve ever bought a dispensary edible and looked at the ingredients list, odds are you’ll see the word “lecithin”. You may be wondering: should I add lecithin to my edibles?

While this common food additive and emulsifier might seem like just another ingredient, it’s usually present because of what it does for you.

While it doesn’t technically make the oil stronger in terms of milligrams of THC, CBD or CBG, lecithin could help with the absorption of cannabinoids into the human body.

Theoretically, when lecithin is present, the small particles in your cannabis oil (or butter) are absorbed more easily, making it more potent and effective with a potentially faster onset.

While we lack a lot of data around this (welcome to cannabis!), readers have reported enhanced effects and it is what the big companies use in their edibles.

I personally use an organic sunflower lecithin and prefer liquid, however, there are many types of lecithin on the market – so feel free to experiment and find what works for you.

You can read more about lecithin and edibles in my in-depth post: Can Lecithin Make Your Edibles Stronger?

After incorporating lecithin and using an Ardent decarboxylator to get the right decarboxylation, I found that I only had to use 1/2 of my typical dosage to remain pain-free throughout the day.

Cannabis Coconut Oil Recipe and Tutorial

Step 1: Decarboxylate your cannabis

Always decarboxylate your cannabis before making cannabis coconut oil or cannabutter.

When you heat cannabis at a controlled temperature, the THCa molecule transforms into the psychoactive and potent molecule THC. (This also goes for CBDa and CBGa. You need to decarboxylate your CBDa into CBD before making CBD infused coconut oil)

I use an Ardent FX or Mini every time I decarboxylate because it effectively transforms over 98% of THCa to THC without any loss.

Most home decarboxylation methods are unreliable and can waste as much as 30% of the THC.

I did the math and the FX (or the smaller more affordable Ardent Mini) was a no brainer for me since it saves me at least 1/3 lb cannabis every year and makes my edibles and topicals much more effective.

You can read more about the FX here or read the post on decarboxylation.

Step 2: Infuse the cannabis coconut oil

1. Combine the following in a crockpot on warm or low (warm is usually sufficient in most crockpots):

1 Cup Coconut Oil[I like the big jug ofunrefinedNutiva because I use it a lotand the flavor/scent is really delightful.If you don’t like the taste of coconut or you’d like to save some money, the refined stuff is a bit cheaper and doesn’t have a tropical smell]

1 teaspoon- 1 TablespoonSunflower Lecithin: If you reeeeallly don’t like the flavor of lecithin use 1 teaspoon. Otherwise, use 1 Tablespoon per cup.

*Try to keep oil near 160°-180f for best results*

Not to beat this topic to pieces… but I retired my crockpot years ago. For even better (hands-off, no worry, and much less clean up) results while making cannabis coconut oil or any weed oil I use Ardent’s FX.

It decarboxylates, infuses and strains every last drop out of your oil. No babysitting. Very little clean up. Virtually no oil loss. It’s my favorite cannabis gadget.

2. Add:

1 Cup OrganicDecarboxylatedCannabis(about 7g or 1/4 oz.) –

Stir every half hour or so.

After about 2 hours of heating and steeping, turn off the crockpot and allow the oil to cool before moving onto the next step.

Step 3: Strain Your Cananbis Coconut Oil

3. Set up your strainer so it fits snugly in a container. Line with a large piece of cheesecloth.

4. Slowly pour plant matter and coconut oil into the strainer.

5. Using a string or twist tie, gather the cheesecloth around the plant matter and secure it.

6. Squeeeeeeze that sh*t. Save this satchel to make Weed Tea.

7. Pour your weed oil into a pint jar and place it in the fridge until cool. Seal with a lid. Store in refrigerator or in a cool, dark place.

Spread it on toast. Make your favorite coconut oil edibles recipes with it. Rub it on your achy body parts.

Cannabis Coconut Oil Recipe Card (Print and Pin Me)

Dosing Cannabis Coconut Oil

At 20% THC this works out to about 29 mg THC per teaspoon. If you work with stronger cannabis, say 30% THC, each teaspoon would be about 42 mg THC per teaspoon. Make sure to take it slow and always get a rough idea of how strong your oil is by using the edibles dosage calculator.

For example, in this recipe, 7 grams of 20% THC plant material in 1 cup of oil yields a cannabis coconut oil that has approximately 30mg THC per teaspoon. Use the CBD and THC dosage calculator and adjust the calculations to reflect the percentage of THC and/or CBD is in your starting plant material.

Bonus Tips For Making Effective Cannabis Coconut Oil Every Time

• Try to use lab tested, organically grown trim or flower whenever possible to make this cannabis coconut oil or any weed oil. I don’t want to freak you out, but buying cannabis on the black market is a toxin minefield. Many growers use pesticides and fungicides that are not meant to be used on plants for human consumption. For example, Eagle 20 a popular fungicide is meant to be used on golf courses. When’s the last time you thought about eating (or smoking) golf course grass?
• If your cannabis coconut oil ever begins to smoke, remove from heat immediately and let it cool a bit before beginning the process again with your crockpot on the lowest setting. It’ll probably still “work” but you’re likely burning off some of the incredible compounds that evaporate at higher temperatures. If you constantly find yourself overheating your weed oil in your crockpot or on the stove (guilty), check out the FX (it’s virtually smell proof and it decarboxylates AND infuses and can be tossed in the dishwasher for easy cleanup)
• For a more smellproof DIY method, you can make cannabis oil in a mason jar.
• You don’t have to finely grind your cannabis no matter what you’re cooking in (in my experience, it makes it harder to strain, leaves a bunch of plant material in that makes for a “greener” taste, and doesn’t improve potency). However, if you’re using buds, you can break them up a bit before you decarboxylation.
• You can also make cannabis coconut oil using hash and concentrates.
• Have fun! Don’t fret over your canna-oil when it’s in the pot. People on the internet make this much more complicated then it has to be. Not me… but you know… other people on the internet. I was writing a cannabiscookbook andhad to overthink making cannabis coconut oil, but you don’t. This is a simple process and it should be enjoyable, not stressful. Just follow the instructions above, adapt or substitute for what you have on hand and share what works in the comments below. We can all learn from each other.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Making Cannabis Coconut Oil

Before you make your cannabis coconut oil, here are a few questions you may have.

Can I use this cannabis coconut oil recipe to make CBG or CBD infused weed oil?

Yes! When I say the word “cannabis”, that includes high THC, CBD or CBG plant material so you can make whatever blends and ratios that work best for you.

I use this recipe to make a balanced ratio CBD:THC oil, CBD oil and CBG oil.

I also use it to make oil blends that combine all of the different cannabinoids (my personal favorite).

Will making this cannabis coconut oil infusion make my house/apartment/dorm smell like weed?

Yes. Decarboxylation and cooking cannabis in the crockpot are smelly endeavors. You can eliminate this smell completely by using a the FX with the Scent Shield or using the virtually smell-proof Cannabis Oil in a Mason Jar method.

If I don’t have lecithin now, can I make the cannabis coconut oil now, order lecithin, and add it later?

Yes. If you’re chomping at the bit to make edibles but don’t have this ingredient on hand, make your oil now, reheat it later, and stir the lecithin in.

Should I add water to my weed oil?

This is a hotly debated topic in the world of homemade edibles, and I’ve landed on the side of not adding water.

Here’s a solid article by BadKat’s CannaPharm that talks more about why water is unnecessary and leads to less effective cannabis oil. In my experience, it leaves oil tasting bitter and can make your oil go bad quickly.

My weed oil is green, brown or amber colored… is that normal?

The color of your weed oil will largely be determined by the plant material you use, how small you ground the plant material and how good your straining method is. I’ve had cannabis coconut oil turn out in many different colors from amber, to dark brown, to electric green.

I shoot for an amber colored cannabis coconut oil (which just means less plant material made it into the infusion), but in my experience, color hasn’t been an indicator on how “strong” your weed oil is.

In the comments: Are you going to make this cannabis coconut oil?

Thinking about making this cannabis coconut oil recipe? Have questions? Already a huge fan? I’d love to hear what you’re creating with this cannabis-infused coconut oil. Let us know in the comments below!

Much love!

Corinne

Disclaimer: This is not intended as medical advice. I’m not a doctor. I’m also not a lawyer and can’t defend you if you get busted trying to make this cannabis coconut oil recipe in a state that still considers possession or cultivation of cannabis a criminal act. I don’t agree with this law, but I’d never advocate that you break it. Jail would suck. Instead, I strongly advise that you work to change the law in your state or nation by supporting and being active in grassroots organizations that are trying to legalize cannabis in your area (they’re everywhere). This weed oil recipe is heretofore only intended for people who live in states or countries where medical or recreational use of cannabis is legal, who are 21 and older, of sound mind and who understand that operating heavy machinery (cars, trucks, planes, etc.) under the influence of any intoxicant, including THC rich marijuana, is incredibly dangerous, immature, and wholly stupid. Please don’t ever eat and drive. Support public transportation or use the two legs that evolution gave you and walk your sweet ass wherever it is that you need to go.