Have you ever thought about making your own edibles? Most of us have at one point or another, leading us down the rabbit hole of how cannabis edibles are even made in the first place. You’ve probably seen or heard someone talking about decarboxylation and wondered, “What the heck does that mean?”
Though a crucial step that can’t be skipped if you plan on making edibles, it’s not a complex process to understand—or to do for that matter.
What Is Cannabis Decarboxylation and Is It Necessary?
To keep it simple, decarboxylation is the process of taking raw cannabis and activating the cannabinoids in it so that they produce their desired psychoactive effects.
When cannabis is in its raw plant form—flower, bud, tree, whatever you want to call it—most of the intoxicating THC or therapeutic CBD is still in its inactive, acidic form known as THCA or CBDA.
To become the cannabinoids we know and love, they must go through a process called decarboxylation—which is essentially heating them to the point of activating. Going a little deeper into the science of decarboxylation, THCA and CBDA have carboxyl rings around them that prevent them from binding to our internal cannabinoid receptors.
When you smoke or vape, those inactive THCA and CBDA cannabinoids are immediately combusted, converting the molecules to their active forms as THC and CBD. However, if you ingest them orally or use them topically, the molecules need to be decarboxylated for them to produce the desired effects within the endocannabinoid system.
What’s the Best Way to Decarb Cannabis?
The process of decarbing cannabis is a simple one, but it does require a few specific things:
- Cannabis flower (ground or broken up into small pieces)
- A heating source with temperature control (oven is most common, but you could also use a toaster oven or air fryer for similar results)
- Shallow baking dish or low-rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper or foil
There are also dedicated devices designed specifically for cannabis decarboxylation from brands like Ardent and Levo, but they aren’t necessary.
How to Decarb Weed in the Oven: Step-By-Step
Decarboxylating weed is a pretty straightforward process: Heat at low temperatures for a short period of time to release the active cannabinoids. The most important things here are the temperatures you use and how long you keep the flower in the oven.
- Preheat your oven anywhere from 220 – 260℉ depending on how long you have and which cannabinoids you want most potent
- Grind or break up your cannabis flower if not already done
- Line the baking dish or sheet with a layer of parchment paper or aluminum foil
- Spread the ground flower across the tray in a single layer
- Bake for 20 – 40 minutes, again based on how long you have and which cannabinoids you want to find most potent in your final product
Other alternatives to a baking dish or cookie sheet include:
- Turkey baking bag
- Silicone tray or container with loose fitting lid
How to Decarb Cannabis Without an Oven
If you’re using a toaster oven or an air fryer the process is basically the same, just line your smaller baking sheet or the inside of your air fryer instead. If using an air fryer, aluminum foil will be the better bet over parchment paper.
It might sound like a great way to save time but never try to decarboxylate weed in the microwave, as this will almost guarantee that you will ruin your bud since there is little control over the temperature.
What Are the Best Oven Settings to Decarb Weed?
The combination of low heat and time makes all the difference when it comes to decarboxylation. A 2016 study found that these are the ideal temperatures for decarboxylation:
THCA to THC: 230°F/110°C for 30 minutes OR 265ºF/130°C for 9 minutes
CBDA to CBD: 230°F/110°C for 45 minutes OR 265°F/130°C for 20 minutes
For a balance of both, you should shoot for a timeframe between 30 – 45 minutes or 9 and 20 minutes, based on the heat you choose.
It’s important to note that this is the highest temperature at which you can safely decarboxylate cannabis without burning off other essential terpenes and cannabinoids, and the lower the temperature, the more of this you preserve.
These times and temperatures are the most important things when it comes to decarboxylating cannabis. It doesn’t matter if you’re using an oven, toaster oven, or air fryer—as long as you stick to these temperature and time settings, you can’t go wrong.
How Do You Know When Decarbed Cannabis Is Done?
The best way to know when decarbed cannabis is done is to set a timer when you first put it into your preheated oven, toaster oven, or air fryer.
While you can generally assume you’ll find a golden brown and oily look to your decarbed weed, this won’t always be the case. The color of cannabis flower varies widely from one strain to the next, and the final color of your decarbed cannabis is going to vary just as much.
However, as long as you’ve kept track with your timer and are staying on the lower side of the temperature-safe zone (220 – 260°F), you can rest assured that you’ll have a potent and satisfying final product.
In most cases, though, the green shades will fade into shades of golden brown by the time it’s done. If it starts to look too dark, consider taking it out early, especially if you’re closer to the high end of that temperature-safe zone.
What Should You Do With Decarbed Weed?
There are a few different things you can do with decarbed weed, but the most common is to use it to make homemade edibles. Most often, people use decarbed weed to infuse a carrier fat like oil or butter to make homemade cookies, brownies, or really any other food in which these versatile ingredients can be used.
Outside of edibles, another common use for decarbed cannabis is topicals. You can add decarbed flower to any of your favorite lotions to create your own homemade cannabis-infused lotions, soaps, and more. If you’re really feeling creative, you can use it in homemade soaps or infuse it into carrier oils used in massages.
Calculating Potency When Making Edibles
When substituting cannabutter for regular butter in edible recipes, consider how potent your final infused product is. While this requires a little bit of math, it’s pretty simple and straightforward. The effective doses of cannabinoids like THC and CBD are most often measured in milligrams. So, if you know the flower you’re using contains 28% THC, then you can easily calculate the potency of your butter, oil, or other infusions.
First, calculate the total number of milligrams in the quantity of flower you’re using. If you’ve decarbed an eighth of flower, then you are using about 3.5 grams (or 3,500 milligrams). With flower that contains 28% THC, you would multiply 3,500 milligrams by 0.28 to get the approximate total milligrams of THC: 980 mg.
Next, you can calculate the potency of smaller portions of your infused butter or oil using a tablespoon or teaspoon, for example. For easy reference, one cup contains 16 tablespoons and 48 teaspoons. If you’ve infused a cup of butter using the 28% THC flower mentioned above, then there would be about 61 mg per tablespoon and 20 mg per teaspoon.
Keep in mind that these are high-end estimates since the conversion rate during decarboxylation and then the infusion rate into your butter or oil will not be 100%, but it will give you a good general approximation of potency.
Shop Michigan’s Best Flower for Your Homemade Edibles
If you’re looking for flower to decarb in Michigan, shop Exclusive for the freshest selection of frosty flower from the best cultivators in the state. Or, if you want expertly crafted edibles that are ready-to-go, we’ve got everything from fast-acting THC gummies to more balanced ratios featuring other cannabinoids like CBG and CBC.
Stop by to shop in-store or order online for curbside pickup or home delivery today.
