How to Make Cannabis Oil: Infusion Basics

Cannabis oil — infused cooking oil made by steeping cannabis in a fat base — is the easiest homemade cannabis product you can cook with. You make it once and use it all month in recipes, salad dressings, or drizzles. Here’s how to make it correctly, including the one step most people skip that ruins the batch.

The Critical First Step: Decarboxylation

Raw cannabis flower doesn’t contain much active THC. It contains THCA, the non-intoxicating acidic form. Heat converts THCA to THC in a process called decarboxylation — or ‘decarbing.’

When you smoke or vape, decarbing happens automatically from the flame or heating element. But if you’re making infusions, you need to do it manually first. Skipping decarb is the single biggest reason homemade edibles don’t work.

To decarb: preheat your oven to 240°F (116°C), break your flower into small pieces (don’t grind it), spread it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 40–45 minutes. It should turn a light brown and smell strongly of cannabis. Let it cool before using.

Choosing a Base Oil

Cannabis compounds are fat-soluble, so you need a fatty base for infusion. The most common choices:

Coconut oil: high in saturated fat, which extracts cannabinoids efficiently. Solid at room temp, easy to measure.

Olive oil: works well, adds a savory flavor. Good for dressings and drizzles.

MCT oil: stays liquid, neutral flavor, works great in tinctures and coffee.

Butter: classic for baked goods — technically canna-butter, not oil, but the method is the same.

The Infusion Process

Combine decarbed flower with oil in a 1:1 ratio by weight — roughly one cup of oil per 7–10 grams of flower for a moderate-strength infusion.

Heat the mixture in a double boiler, slow cooker on low, or saucepan over very low heat. Target 180–200°F (82–93°C). Do not boil.

Simmer gently for 2–4 hours, stirring occasionally. Longer infusion = stronger oil, up to a point.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or nut-milk bag into a clean jar. Press the plant matter to extract as much oil as possible.

Store in the fridge in an airtight jar. Use within 2–3 months.

Dosing Homemade Cannabis Oil

This is where homemade edibles get tricky. You can calculate rough potency from the THC % on the flower’s original packaging, but actual extraction efficiency varies — typically 60–80% of the cannabinoids transfer to the oil.

A conservative estimate: if your flower was 20% THC (200mg/g), and you used 7g in a cup of oil, you’ll have roughly 1,000–1,300mg THC spread across the whole cup. That means ~65–85mg per tablespoon.

Always test new batches with a tiny amount — a teaspoon or less — and wait the full 90 minutes before re-dosing. Edibles hit later and harder than smoked cannabis.

Using Cannabis Oil in Recipes

Direct swap: use 1:1 in recipes that call for oil or butter. Brownies, cookies, salad dressings, and pasta sauces all work.

Do not re-heat above 325°F for extended periods — very high temps can break down cannabinoids.

Label everything clearly, store in a child-proof container, and keep away from kids and pets.

The Easier Alternative: Dispensary Edibles

Homemade infusions are a fun project, but they’re difficult to serving precisely. If you want reliable, consistent effects, lab-tested dispensary edibles are a safer bet. Social Dispensary stocks gummies, chocolates, infused drinks, and capsules with exact mg labels — so you know what you’re taking.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Shop at Social Dispensary

Looking for quality flower, concentrates, edibles, or vape cartridges? Social Dispensary operates licensed retail cannabis stores across Colorado with carefully curated menus and everyday value pricing. Browse our current specials, or visit any of our Denver metro locations for in-person help from our budtenders.

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