THC Butter for Keto Diets: Your Guide to Sugar-Free Cannabis Edibles

THC edibles are a fun and discreet way to enjoy the effects of THC, but many store-bought edibles are packed with sugar and carbs—think cookies, brownies, and gummies. If you’re on a low-carb or keto diet or just want a healthier option, making cannabis butter at home is an easy solution. Plus, by making it yourself, you can control the ingredients and dosage, ensuring it fits your needs.

Why Make Your Own Cannabis Butter?

One reason to make your own cannabis butter is that it’s difficult to buy pre-made cannabis butter, even in areas where cannabis is legal. Most dispensaries focus on selling edibles like gummies or baked goods, so if you want THC butter for cooking or adding to everyday dishes, making it at home is the best option.

Another advantage of making your own THC butter is that you have total control over how it’s used. Whether you want to add a teaspoon to your morning coffee or cook with it in savory dishes like soups or grilled vegetables, THC-infused butter is incredibly versatile. Plus, you get to customize the potency to your preferences.

If you don’t have access to traditional marijuana due to local laws, you can still make THC butter using THCA flower, thanks to a legal loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill. This bill allows the sale of hemp products that contain less than 0.3% THC, which is the psychoactive compound in cannabis. THCA, on the other hand, is non-psychoactive in its raw form and is allowed under this federal law because it technically isn’t THC.

However, when THCA is heated, it goes through a process called decarboxylation, transforming it into THC. This means that hemp sellers, like Sweet Leaf Hemp Farms, can legally sell THCA flower because it falls within the legal THC limit of 0.3%. Once you use the right cooking techniques—like simmering in butter for 2-3 hours—THCA converts into THC, allowing you to create potent THC butter from a federally legal product.

By taking advantage of this legal loophole, you can enjoy the benefits of THC without needing access to traditional marijuana, making it easier to cook with cannabis in areas where THC-rich products are restricted.

THC Butter or THC Ghee: Which is Better?

When it comes to making cannabis edibles, choosing between THC butter and THC ghee can make a big difference in the quality and potency of your final product.

Why Choose Ghee?

Ghee, or clarified butter, is often the superior choice for infusing cannabis because of its unique properties:

No Milk Solids: Regular butter contains milk solids, which can burn easily during the infusion process, leading to an unpleasant taste or even ruining the batch. Ghee is butter with the milk solids removed, making it more stable at higher temperatures. This means you can simmer your cannabis longer without worrying about scorching.
Higher Fat Content: Ghee has a higher concentration of fat than regular butter. Since cannabinoids like THC bind to fats during the infusion process, more fat means more THC can be absorbed into the ghee. This results in a more potent final product.
Longer Shelf Life: Ghee also has a longer shelf life than butter because it doesn’t contain water or milk proteins that spoil quickly. THC-infused ghee can last for weeks or even months when stored properly, making it a more convenient option for frequent cannabis users.
Keto-Friendly: If you’re on a keto diet, ghee is a perfect match, as it contains zero carbs and is purely fat. Regular butter still has trace amounts of carbs due to the milk solids, making ghee the cleaner option for maintaining ketosis.

In summary, ghee is a better choice than regular butter for THC infusions due to its stability, higher fat content, and better compatibility with dietary preferences like keto. Plus, it allows you to maximize the potency and flavor of your cannabis edibles without worrying about burning or spoilage.

How to Make Cannabis Butter

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter (unsalted is best) or ghee
5 cups of water
7 grams of THCA flower or marijuana (see more on the amount below)

Instructions:

Boil the butter (or ghee) and water
In a large saucepan, combine 1 stick of butter (or ghee) with 5 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Add the THCA flower
Once boiling, add your THCA flower.
Simmer for 2-3 hours
Lower the heat to maintain a simmer (you want gentle bubbling, not a full boil) and let the mixture cook for 2-3 hours. If you have a kitchen thermometer, aim to keep the temperature between 160-200°F (70-93°C), but don’t worry if you don’t have one—just make sure it stays at a low simmer.
- Decarbing happens here: There’s no need to decarb the flower separately since simmering it for this extended time will naturally decarboxylate the THCA into THC.
Strain the flower
After the simmering time, use a cheesecloth or fine strainer to remove the plant material from the butter mixture.
Cool the mixture
Let the mixture cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge. Once cooled, the butter will harden on top, separating from the water below.
Remove the water
Once the butter has hardened, poke a hole in it and carefully drain out the water, leaving only the infused butter behind.

Voilà! You now have THC-infused butter that you can use in cooking, baking, or any dish that calls for butter.

Creating your own Keto THC Edibles

Once you’ve made your THC-infused butter or ghee, the possibilities for keto-friendly edibles are endless! The key to keeping it keto is to incorporate your THC butter into recipes that are naturally low in carbs and high in healthy fats. Here are a few ideas on how you can use your THC butter:

Keto Cookies: Swap regular butter for your THC-infused butter in your favorite keto cookie recipe. Almond flour and sugar substitutes like stevia or erythritol work perfectly to keep these treats low-carb and delicious.
Keto Brownies: Love brownies but hate the carbs? Use a recipe that features almond flour or coconut flour, and replace the butter with THC butter for a potent, chocolatey treat.
Fat Bombs: These high-fat, low-carb snacks are a staple of the keto diet. You can easily mix THC butter into fat bombs made with ingredients like cream cheese, coconut oil, and peanut butter to create a tasty, energy-boosting edible.
Keto Mug Cakes: Mug cakes are quick and easy, requiring only a few ingredients like almond flour, egg, and a sugar substitute. Stir in a spoonful of THC butter for a single-serving, THC-infused keto treat in minutes.
Keto Bulletproof Coffee: For a more subtle effect, add a small amount of your THC butter to your morning bulletproof coffee (coffee blended with butter or coconut oil). It’s a smooth, tasty way to incorporate your cannabis into your daily routine while staying in ketosis.

With these ideas, you can easily create your own keto THC edibles without the sugar and carbs found in traditional edibles. This gives you more control over both your diet and your THC dosage while enjoying delicious treats.

How Much THCA Flower Should You Use?

A typical recommendation is to use 7 grams of THCA flower per stick of butter or ghee. This amount allows for a potent infusion while keeping the butter versatile for everyday use.

To help gauge dosage:

One stick of butter yields about 8 tablespoons.
If you use 7 grams of THCA flower, each tablespoon of butter will contain roughly 40-60 mg of THC depending on the potency of the flower and the efficiency of the infusion process.

If you’re new to edibles, it’s best to start with a small dose, around 5-10 mg of THC per serving. This would be less than a teaspoon of your infused butter. Wait at least 1-2 hours to feel the effects before deciding to consume more.

By making your own cannabis butter at home, you can avoid the sugar and carbs of traditional edibles and enjoy cannabis in a way that fits your lifestyle. Happy cooking!