Hemp butter at home – how to make it step by step

Homemade hemp butter is one of the most versatile bases for cooking with CBD. With just one teaspoon, you can enhance toast, cakes, sauces, and low-temperature fried dishes — all in one product that you prepare yourself with controlled ingredients. Does it sound complicated? The entire process takes less than 4 hours, and most of that time the pot works on its own. I will show you exactly how to do it safely and effectively.

KEY INFORMATION
• Decarboxylation (110°C, 45–60 min) is mandatory — without it, CBD remains in its inactive form, CBDA.
• Infusion should take place at 80–85°C for 2–3 hours — above 90°C, CBD degrades significantly faster (Jaidee et al., PMC 2022).
• Butter is an ideal carrier for CBD: the bioavailability of cannabinoids in lipids is approximately 3 times higher than without fat (PMC 2016).
• The finished butter will last 2–3 weeks in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

Why make hemp butter at home?

Hemp butter gives you precise control over the dosage and ingredients. Store-bought CBD edibles have fixed concentrations — homemade butter can be adjusted to your needs by changing the amount of herb or infusion time. This is important because PMC studies (2016) confirm that CBD consumed with fat has about 3 times higher bioavailability than when taken without a lipid carrier. Butter — with its fat content of ~82% — is one of the best possible carriers.

What is hemp butter used for? The list is long: toast and bread, baked goods (muffins, brownies, cookies), cold sauces and dips, pasta with butter and herbs, scrambled eggs, or poached eggs cooked on low heat. One key point: the cooking temperature should not exceed 165°C, as above this threshold, cannabinoids begin to break down intensively.

Hemp butter made from legal CBD herb is also a good alternative for those who do not like the taste of CBD oils under the tongue — here, CBD is integrated into a familiar, everyday food product. If you are just starting your journey with hemp products, check out our complete guide to hemp in the kitchen, where you will find broader context for this recipe.

What hemp should you choose for hemp butter?

For infusion, you should only use legal CBD herb — cannabis flowers with THC content below 0.3%. Since May 7, 2022, Polish law allows this threshold (amendment to the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction), and EU regulation 2022/1393 further regulates the maximum levels of THC in food. Buy herb only from certified suppliers with a current laboratory certificate — this is the only guarantee that the product meets standards.

When choosing herb, pay attention to the CBD content — the higher it is, the potentially stronger the butter. Typical CBD herb has 8–18% CBD (in the form of CBDA). With 10% CBD in 10 g of herb, you theoretically have 1,000 mg of CBDA, from which, after decarboxylation and extraction, you will recover about 50–70% as CBD in the butter. Aromatic strains with terpenes (myrcene, linalool, limonene) will also enhance the flavor and aroma of the finished product.

How much herb do you need? For a standard block of butter (250 g), 7–10 g of CBD herb is recommended. Less will yield a milder product, more will yield a stronger one. Start at the lower end, especially if this is your first attempt with CBD in food. It’s easier to gradually increase the dose than to fix butter that is too strong.

You can read more about decarboxylation and its science in a separate article: decarboxylation of cannabis step by step — it's a worthwhile read if you want to understand what happens chemically during the preparation of butter.

Ingredients and equipment – what do you need?

The recipe for hemp butter does not require specialized equipment. Most of the things you already have at home — you only need a few additional items. Here’s the complete list:

Ingredients:

• 250 g of butter (minimum 82% fat — the higher the % fat, the better the CBD carrier; clarified butter works perfectly)
• 7–10 g of CBD flower (with <0.3% THC, certified)
• Optional: a pinch of sea salt (improves the final flavor)

Equipment:

• Baking sheet with parchment paper (for decarboxylation)
• Oven with thermometer or thermostat
• Herb grinder (coarse grind, not powder)
• Pot and smaller heatproof pot or bowl (for water bath)
• Cooking thermometer — essential, not optional
• Strainer with cheesecloth or linen cloth for straining
• Jar or container with a lid for storage

A culinary thermometer is the only „investment” you need — if you don't have one, it costs 20–50 PLN and is essential for precise temperature control during infusion. Without it, you risk either weak butter (too low temperature) or CBD degradation (too high).

How to make hemp butter step by step

Below, I describe the entire process in seven steps. The total active time is about 30–40 minutes — the rest is waiting while the pot works on its own. Don’t rush during decarboxylation or infusion: haste is the main cause of weak butter.

Safety: Never leave heated butter unattended. Maintain a temperature below 90°C during infusion and below 165°C when cooking with the finished butter. Use only herb from a legal, certified source. A water bath is safer than direct heating — it protects against overheating.

Step 1. Weigh and grind the CBD herb. Measure out 7–10 g of herb. Grind it coarsely in the grinder — you want larger pieces, not powder. Grinding too finely makes filtering difficult and can cloud the finished butter.

Step 2. Decarboxylation in the oven. Spread the herb evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Set the oven to 110°C (top and bottom heat, no convection) and bake for 45–60 minutes. Research by Wang et al. (Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2016) shows that CBDA at 110°C undergoes gradual conversion to CBD according to first-order kinetics (activation energy: 112 kJ/mol). You will smell a characteristic, delicate hemp aroma — this is a sign that the process is going well. Let the herb cool down.

Step 3. Prepare a water bath (bain-marie). Fill a large pot with water to about 1/3 of its height and place it on the stove. On top, place a smaller pot or heatproof bowl — without contact with the water. Heat the water to boiling, then reduce the heat so that the water maintains 80–85°C. A water bath will never allow the temperature to exceed 100°C — this is your natural safeguard.

Step 4. Melt the butter and add the herb. Add 250 g of butter to the upper pot. Once melted, add the decarboxylated herb. Stir gently and cover with a lid or aluminum foil.

Step 5. Infusion for 2–3 hours. Maintain a temperature of 80–85°C, stirring every 20–30 minutes. Check with a thermometer — this is the key moment of the entire recipe. At this temperature, CBD dissolves in the fat of the butter, creating a stable infusion. Why not higher? The degradation rate of CBD at 70°C is already 61 times higher than at 40°C (Jaidee et al., 2022) — each additional degree increases losses.

We noticed in tests that butter infused for 3 hours at 80°C has a more intense, rounded flavor than the same butter at 85°C for 2 hours. A lower temperature for a longer time better preserves the delicate terpenes (linalool, myrcene) responsible for the characteristic aroma. If flavor is important to you — choose a longer, cooler infusion.

Step 6. Strain and squeeze the herb. Line a strainer with cheesecloth or linen cloth and slowly pour the warm butter through it. When it cools slightly, press the herb with a spoon or your hand in a kitchen glove — you will squeeze out the last portion of infused butter. Don’t skip this step, as 15–20% of the butter remains in the herb.

Step 7. Cool and store. Pour the butter into a jar or container. Leave it to cool at room temperature (30–60 min), then place it in the refrigerator. The butter will solidify within 4–6 hours and will be ready the next morning.

How to dose hemp butter in recipes?

Dosing hemp butter requires caution, as the effects of CBD from food appear after 45–90 minutes and last much longer than with sublingual administration. A safe starting point is 1/4 teaspoon (about 1–2 g of butter) per serving, which with standard butter (7 g of herb at 10% CBD) provides about 3–5 mg of CBD. Wait at least 2 hours before possibly increasing the portion.

Hemp butter works best where the cooking temperature does not exceed 150–165°C. Excellent uses include: spreading on toast and bread (without heating the butter), finishing soups and sauces after removing from heat, baking cakes and muffins (the internal temperature of the cake is usually 90–100°C, not as much as the oven), pasta with butter, scrambled eggs on very low heat.

If you don’t want to make butter but are looking for CBD in ready-to-eat form — CBD recipes and culinary trends on the u Bucha blog show how to use CBD oil directly in the kitchen. The oil is easier to dose precisely than butter.

How to store hemp butter and how long does it stay fresh?

Hemp butter is stored just like regular butter, but with one important caveat: light and heat degrade CBD faster than fat. In the refrigerator, in an airtight, opaque container, butter stays fresh for 2–3 weeks. This result is consistent with general food safety guidelines for herb-infused butter.

Want it to last longer? The freezer is your friend. Hemp butter divided into portions (e.g., in ice cube trays or wrapped in aluminum foil in 50 g portions) will last in the freezer for up to 6 months without significant loss of CBD or flavor. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight — never in the microwave, as uneven heating may locally exceed safe temperature thresholds.

From our observations, opaque glass jars (e.g., dark brown, apothecary-style) significantly outperform plastic containers in terms of the durability of hemp butter. CBD is photolabile — under UV and visible light, it undergoes isomerization. Plastic containers may also absorb some fat and aromas, which alters the flavor of the product after a few days.

How to tell if the butter has gone bad? A rancid, sour smell is a sure sign of fat oxidation in the butter. A greenish coating indicates mold — no amount of „scraping” will help. When in doubt — throw it away. Fresh butter looks and smells normal, with a slight hemp note in the background.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CBD hemp butter legal in Poland?

Yes. Butter made from legal CBD herb (below 0.3% THC) is legal. Since May 7, 2022, Polish law allows hemp with a limit of 0.3% THC (amendment to the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction). Use only herb from a certified source with a current laboratory certificate — this is the only verifiable guarantee of the product's legality.

At what temperature should hemp butter infusion be done?

The optimal infusion temperature is 80–85°C in a water bath. Above 90°C, CBD begins to degrade more intensively — the degradation rate at 70°C is already 61 times higher than at 40°C according to Jaidee et al. (PMC, 2022). Never cook butter directly over the flame — the temperature will exceed 100°C and destroy a significant portion of CBD.

How much CBD herb for 250 g of butter?

The standard ratio is 7–10 g of CBD herb for 250 g of butter (1 block). A smaller amount (5–7 g) will yield milder butter for everyday use, while more (10–14 g) will yield stronger butter. The CBD content in the finished butter depends on the % CBD in the herb and the effectiveness of decarboxylation — which is why the oven step is essential, not optional.

How long does hemp butter stay fresh?

In the refrigerator, in an airtight container, hemp butter will last 2–3 weeks. In the freezer, it can last up to 6 months without losing its properties. Store in an opaque container — light accelerates CBD degradation and fat oxidation. Signs of spoilage include a rancid smell or mold.

Can the decarboxylation step be skipped?

No. Without decarboxylation, CBD remains in its acidic form, CBDA, which has different properties and lower bioavailability in fat. The oven step (110°C, 45–60 min) activates the cannabinoid by removing the carboxyl group CO2 — this is a necessary chemical stage before infusion. More about this process: hemp tea and CBD properties.

This article is for informational and educational purposes and does not replace consultation with a doctor. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medications, or have chronic conditions, consult the use of supplements or herbs with a specialist.

Author: Michał Waluk · Published: 2026-05-04 · Updated: 2026-05-04