How to make cannabutter from concentrates: BHO, shatter, dabs, wax

In this article we’ll show you how to make cannabutter from concentrates using butane hash oil (BHO), aka shatter, dabs, wax, or rosin. Marijuana butter made with concentrates are much cleaner tasting than those made with plant material, and it’s a bit easier to gauge potency.

The magical butter machine is the easiest way to make kief butter.
The Magical Butter Machine is the easiest way to make kief butter with consistent potency.

Don’t have any shatter? Learn other ways to cook cannabutter using dry ice hash (kief), marijuana buds, or from trimmings.

Making cannabutter with dabs, BHO, or other concentrates

Making cannabutter from concentrates such as wax, shatter, or BHO is very easy. The first step is to  decarboxylate your concentrate. The second step is to dissolve it into something that contains fat, such as butter.

THC is fat soluable and the fat content of the butter makes a perfect match for BHO edible recipes.  Other fats commonly used for making edibles from shatter and weed concentrates include vegetable oil and coconut oil, you could follow the steps of this cannabutter recipe with those oils as well.

In this marijuana butter recipe we’re going to use BHO. Substitute other concentrates if you’d like.

  1. Decarb 2 grams of shatter. See how below
  2. Slowly melt 1 stick of butter in a small pan on low heat. Then add 2 grams of already-decarboxylated butane hash oil.
  3. Simmer the BHO lightly for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula. The hash oil will melt right into the butter and dissolve evenly as you stir. Press any big chunks flat to speed this up.
The STX Infuzium extraction machine kit lets you turn BHO and wax into cannabutter, as well as other types of extractions.
The STX Infuzium extraction machine kit lets you turn BHO and wax into cannabutter, as well as other types of extractions.

Recipe tip: keep the heat low so the butter barely bubbles, and don’t overheat the pan before adding the butter and shatter. Too much heat and the THC will be destroyed. Plus the butter will brown and get a toasty flavor not ideal for pot brownies.

This recipe can be easily adjusted to make stronger strengths of marijuana butter.

You can make your cannabutter double strength by either using two times the concentrate or by reducing the amount of butter by half.  This would be helpful for example if your edibles recipe only calls for a half stick of butter instead of a full stick.

If you want to take the easy route, get a cannabis butter machine to simplify the process.

How to decarboxylate butane hash oil (BHO)

Butane hash oil can be dark decarboxylated easily by baking in an oven for 28 minutes at 250゚F. You’ll notice small bubbles emerging as carbon dioxide gets released during the decarboxylation process.

The Magical Butter Machine decarb kit is an inexpensive way to get consistent decarboxylation results.
The Magical Butter Machine Decarb Kit is an inexpensive way to get consistent decarboxylation results.

Decarboxylate the concentrate on parchment paper or a silicone mat placed into a heat proof baking pan or cookie sheet.  If you’re using parchment paper folds the sides up into a small rectangular box  to contain it, otherwise you risk the oil melting and dripping off and wasting.

Some people decarboxylate their weed concentrates at slightly higher temperatures for shorter timeframes. See decarboxylation chart below for alternative options. Make sure your material has reached the decarb temperature before you start your timer.

While cook times to decarb may vary based on temperature, it’s critical that you don’t skip this step when making BHO edibles.

You can also decarboxylate your concentrate directly in butter in a double boiler, which can be easily improvised using BHO placed in a mason jar placed in a pan of boiling water. Use a probe thermometer to monitor temperature and use the decarb chart below for timeframes. Don’t start the timer until the liquid comes up to temperature.

Decarbing in a double boiler this way requires that you cook it a much longer period to achieve decarboxylation, so we prefer to decarb in the oven first to not impact the consistency of the butter as much.

This decarb chart shows the temperature and timeframes needed to properly decarb concentrates.
This decarb chart shows the temperature and timeframes needed to properly decarb concentrates. We like to do it for 28 minutes at 250゚F.

How to determine THC content of BHO Cannabutter

Determining the THC content of cannabutter made using marijuana concentrates is a very important part of the cooking process. If your marijuana butter edibles are too strong they could lead to severe reactions in people. Eating too much THC isn’t enjoyable. Because of this, you will need to make sure that you properly dosage your edibles one cooking with the BHO.

The Infuzion Buds extraction machine kit is a cheaper alternative to the Magical Butter Machine.
The Infuzion Buds extraction machine kit is a cheaper alternative to the Magical Butter Machine.

Hash oil makes it fairly easy to estimate the THC dosage for each of your edibles. Typically hash oil is about 70% THC, so you know that for every 1000 g of shatter you add to your cannabutter you will have approximately 700 g of THC.

This is very helpful in determining THC in your cannabutter recipe. If you use one gram of shatter and assume that you have 70% THC content or 700 mg total, you can then surmise that this butter could make:

  • 9 brownies with 77.77 milligrams of THC per serving
  • 12 brownies with 58.3 milligrams of THC per serving
  • 16 brownies with 43.5 milligrams of THC per serving

Making edibles from shatter

It’s easy to make great marijuana edibles from shatter or other marijuana concentrates (wax, dabs, hash oil, crumble, rosin, honey oil, etc.).  You will find that using concentrates to make edibles reduces the strong plant flavor associated with cannabutter recipes for trimmed leaves and buds.

Sure, it’s easy to make cannabutter with trimmings. But making BHO edibles with shatter delivers a cleaner, purer flavor, and it is much easier to estimate dosage accurately when using concentrates to make edibles.

The STX decarboxylation kit will activate THC in BHO, shatter, wax, and other cannabis concentrates before making edibles.
The STX Decarboxylation Kit makes it simple to decarb BHO, shatter, wax, and other cannabis concentrates before making cannabutter.

We will walk you through everything you need to know to make cannabutter edibles with shatter. You’ll learn how to activate the THC for edible consumption using decarboxylation.  Most importantly, you’ll learn how to estimate the dosage of THC levels in your cannabutter edibles correctly so that you can provide an enjoyable experience without overdoing it.

What is decarboxylation?

Decarboxylation activates rates THC in BHO, dabs, wax, and other concentrates. It is a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). Decarboxylization allows the non-psychoactive chemical THCA to be converted into THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

When making cannabutter with butane hash oil you will need to decarb to activate the THC in a way your body can process.  You can not just eat shatter (or weed for that matter) and get high since it mostly contains THCA and not THC.  A notable exception that doesn’t first require decarboxylization before ingestion is marijuana distillate. If you’re cooking cannabutter with distillate there is no need to decarb first.

The Ardent Nova Decarboxylator works with the push of a button. Its easy to use and consistent..
The Ardent Nova Portable Decarboxylator is a premium model that works with the push of a button. Its easy to use and produces consistent results for concentrates, flower, or kief.

Typically this conversion of THCA to THC occurs instantly when you burn marijuana or concentrates. In cannabutter recipes made from hash oil, the THCA needs to be gently heated in order to decarboxylate it and release THC which your body can utilize. Never skip this step when making edibles from shatter, or your final product won’t be psychoactive.

A word of warning about BHO edibles

If you make edibles from shatter, be careful to test your batch’s potency before you start consuming and handing them out to friends.

It is always better to have to eat two low-dosage brownies than to give everyone one over-potent brownie and find that some of the recipients are unable to handle the in the dosage. Never eat a brownie and decide after 20 minutes that it’s not working and you need to eat a second portion unless you’re quite sure you can handle it.

Being trapped in the middle of a large public area such as a concert or shopping center after eating too much weed edibles is an awful experience.

When smoking marijuana it is very difficult to overdose. You would need to smoke about 50,000 times the amount of marijuana that it takes to get you high in order to have this happen. While you may feel pretty spaced out after one too many dabs, you’re never really going to have to worry too much.

The Alpha420 Silicone Decarb Kit has a thermometer to ensure your concentrates decarb at the right temperature.
The Alpha420 Silicone Decarb Kit has a thermometer to ensure your concentrates decarb at the right temperature.

This is not true with edible marijuana products however – too much is a bad, bad thing.

Since the THC in cannabutter edibles is processed by the liver it is very easy for people to take too much inadvertently. BHO edibles can be made with very high potency, and there clean flavor compared to cannabutter edibles made with flower or trim may lead some to assume that the edibles made with concentrates are low strength. This has resulted in numerous emergency room visits and/or people at home feeling like the world is collapsing around them in a terrible way.

Overdosing on BHO edibles is not fun, needs to be avoided at all cost. From personal experience I can assure you this is true.

Since you will be fairly accurately able to gauge the potency of cannabutter in this recipe, many cooks prefer using shatter for edibles so that they can better understand the dosage of their marijuana treats.

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How to make cannabutter from butane hash oil (BHO), shatter, or dabs
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