Homemade Cannabis Balms: No-Bake Recipe
Recipe for homemade cannabis balms with hulled seeds, peanut butter, and cocoa. Proportions in grams, 15 minutes of work, and nutritional values per 100 g.
Cannabis balms are made without baking, with five ingredients and in fifteen minutes of work at the counter. The rest happens in the refrigerator. The mixture of peanut butter, honey, cocoa, and coconut oil hardens after cooling, and the hulled hemp seeds remain whole and crunchy, as they do not gel like chia and do not need to be ground like flaxseed. Let’s set expectations right away: this is a dessert, not a dietary snack. One hundred grams of the finished mixture provides about 523 kcal, of which 21 g comes from sugars in honey. The seeds improve the composition of this mixture but do not reverse it. Below you will find the proportions in grams, the order of operations, a table of nutritional values calculated from the ingredients, the quality of protein from the seeds measured in a peer-reviewed study, and the real shelf life.
KEY INFORMATION
• Hulled hemp seeds have 553 kcal, 31.6 g of protein, and 700 mg of magnesium per 100 g (USDA FoodData Central, record 170148).
• The finished mixture per 100 g is about 523 kcal, 17.5 g of protein, and 21 g of sugars.
• The limiting amino acid in the seeds is lysine, and the PDCAAS of hulled seeds is 63-66% (House et al., 2010).
• 15 minutes of work, 3 hours of cooling, up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
What are homemade cannabis balms made of?
The base consists of 150 g of peanut butter, 60 g of honey, and 25 g of coconut oil, plus 30 g of unsweetened cocoa and 50 g of hulled hemp seeds. A total of 315 g of mixture, which makes 16 balms of about 20 g each. Coconut oil is responsible for solidifying, so it cannot be omitted.
- 150 g of unsweetened peanut or almond butter
- 50 g of hulled hemp seeds
- 60 g of honey (3 tablespoons)
- 30 g of unsweetened cocoa
- 25 g of unrefined coconut oil (2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt
- optional: 2 tablespoons of coconut flakes
Solid fat determines whether the mixture will set into a block or remain a paste. Coconut oil has about 82.5 g of saturated fats per 100 g (USDA FoodData Central, record 171412) and solidifies in the refrigerator. Canola and sunflower oils remain liquid.
Do not heat hemp seed oil or use it instead of coconut oil. It does not solidify in the refrigerator, and it consists of over 80% polyunsaturated acids (Callaway, Euphytica, 2004), which oxidize when heated. This oil is for cold dishes.
How to make cannabis balms step by step?
Melt the peanut butter with honey and coconut oil, remove from heat, cool for five minutes, mix in cocoa and seeds, transfer to the mold, and chill for three hours. Active work takes 15 minutes. You do not need an oven or mixer, just a pot and a mold.
- Melt the peanut butter with honey and coconut oil in a water bath, stirring for about 3 minutes until smooth.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. The mixture should be warm, not hot.
- Mix in cocoa, salt, and vanilla, and finally the hemp seeds. Stir until the mixture stops shining and thickens noticeably.
- Transfer the mixture to a 15 by 20 cm mold lined with paper, smooth it to 1.5 cm, and sprinkle with a tablespoon of seeds.
- Chill for 3 hours in the refrigerator or 45 minutes in the freezer, then cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife.
Safety: heat the mixture on the lowest heat and stir continuously. Honey burns quickly, and burnt base becomes bitter.
Check the consistency before transferring to the mold. Place a spoonful of the mixture in the refrigerator for two minutes: it should harden to the consistency of play dough. If it remains soft, add a tablespoon of cocoa.
How many calories and nutrients do cannabis balms have?
One hundred grams of the finished mixture contains about 523 kcal, 17.5 g of protein, 41.4 g of fat, and 33.2 g of carbohydrates, including 21 g of sugars. We calculated these values by summing the five ingredients of the recipe according to the USDA FoodData Central database. These are not data from the label of a finished product.
| Per 100 g | Finished balms | Hemp seeds |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 523 kcal | 553 kcal |
| Protein | 17.5 g | 31.6 g |
| Fat | 41.4 g | 48.8 g |
| of which saturated | 13.0 g | 4.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33.2 g | 8.7 g |
| of which sugars | 21.0 g | 1.5 g |
| Fiber | 6.6 g | 4.0 g |
| Magnesium | 239 mg | 700 mg |
Protein from hemp seeds is sometimes described as complete, but measurements are more cautious. House et al. (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2010) examined thirty commercial samples of hemp from Western Canada and measured the PDCAAS of hulled seeds at 63-66%, with lysine being the limiting amino acid in all products. The index is calculated based on the needs of children aged 2-5 years according to FAO and WHO. The hull makes a significant difference here: for whole seeds, the same authors report 49-53%, so removing the hull raises the score by several points. The seeds contain all essential amino acids, but they are low in lysine to match egg protein.
Thus, the raw material for the balms comes from the better end of this scale, but it does not change the nature of the dessert. The protein in the finished mixture is 17.5 g per 100 g and comes mostly from peanut butter, not from the seeds. If you are looking for a recipe where hemp seeds are the main ingredient rather than an addition, you might want to check out homemade hemp milk.
Are cannabis balms a healthy snack?
This is a dessert and should be treated as such. One balm weighs about 20 g and provides approximately 105 kcal and 4.2 g of sugars, which is one-fifth of the values from the table. Hemp seeds improve the composition of this snack but do not turn it into a dietary product.
Our observation from the calculations: hemp seeds have omega-6 and omega-3 acids in a ratio of 3.2 to 1, but in the finished mixture, the ratio increases to 7.4 to 1. The reason is straightforward. Peanut butter contributes 12.2 g of linoleic acid per 100 g and virtually zero alpha-linolenic acid, thus diluting the profile of the seeds. Callaway provides a range of 2:1 to 3:1 for hemp oil, but this applies to the seeds, not the dessert made from them.
How to store cannabis balms and how long are they good for?
In the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 2 weeks. In the freezer for up to 3 months, taking out 5-10 minutes before eating. Above 22°C, the mixture softens and the balms lose shape, so only leave a portion out on the counter for now. Do not keep them in the refrigerator door, where the temperature fluctuates the most.
The shelf life is determined by the fat from the seeds. Polyunsaturated acids make up 38.1 g of the 48.8 g of fat in the seeds, which is 78%, and such fats spoil faster than saturated ones. Balms kept in warmth develop a bitter taste after a few days. Separate them with pieces of baking paper to prevent sticking.
We noticed in tests that the mixture cuts cleaner after three hours of cooling than after two. Coconut oil needs time for full crystallization: after two hours, the edges are hard, while the center is still plastic, and the knife crushes the cubes instead of cutting them. If the mixture remains plastic after a whole night, re-melt it, add a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of cocoa, and chill it again. The same mechanism determines the success of homemade cannabis chocolate, where solid fat is the only binder.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories does one cannabis balm have?
One balm weighs about 20 g and provides approximately 105 kcal, 3.5 g of protein, and 4.2 g of sugars. This is one-fifth of the values from 100 g of the finished mixture, calculated from the ingredients of the recipe according to the USDA FoodData Central database.
Why do cannabis balms not harden?
The most common reason is the lack of solid fat. Coconut oil has about 82.5 g of saturated fats per 100 g and solidifies in the refrigerator, while canola or sunflower oil remains liquid. Another reason is too little cocoa, which binds moisture from the honey.
How long can homemade cannabis balms be stored?
In the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, in the freezer for up to 3 months. The fat from hemp seeds consists of 78% polyunsaturated acids, which spoil faster than saturated ones, so balms kept in warmth lose flavor after a few days.
Can hemp oil be used for balms instead of coconut oil?
No. Hemp seed oil remains liquid in the refrigerator, so the mixture will not set. It is also not suitable for heating, as it consists of over 80% polyunsaturated acids (Callaway, Euphytica, 2004), which oxidize when heated.
Can cannabis balms be made without cocoa?
Yes, replace 30 g of cocoa with 20 g of coconut flour or hemp protein. The taste will be milder and more nutty. Add an extra tablespoon of coconut oil, as cocoa contributes about 13.7 g of its own fat per 100 g.
If you prefer ready-made, a caramel with a similar consistency can be found in the hemp food category, and hemp infusions in the hemp teas category. There are currently no hulled seeds or edible oil from hemp seeds in this offer, so you will have to go elsewhere for the ingredients for this recipe.
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: 2026-06-22 · Updated: 2026-08-16
