With the wide world of edibles, cannabis enjoyers and enthusiasts no longer have to risk their health by smoking the classic rolled joint. But going through the process of making brownies or gummy snacks from home can seem like a lot of work, when sometimes all you want is a quick pick-me-up from your cannabinoids of choice.
Instead of making (or buying) a bag of gummy bears, you can make a batch of cannabis-infused sugar to use in your favorite tea, coffee, or meals. This will give you the sought-after high or medicinal effects, while not subjecting anyone to a smelly, smoke-filled room.
If you’re interested in making a batch of sugar using your cannabis flower, then this is the article for you! We’ll go over all the steps you need to know to make cannabis sugar using a baking sheet and alcohol tincture – The alcohol evaporates from the weed sugar in the oven, leaving a potent sugar infused with THC ready for use in a variety of applications. Let’s dive in!
What Is Decarbing and Why Is It Important?
Decarboxylation might sound like a scary technical term that puts you off the thought of making cannabis edibles, but fear not; in reality, decarboxylation is a simple but necessary first step to making edible cannabis.
For cannabis to have an intoxicating effect, the THCA needs to turn into THC. This happens at high temperatures, like when you light a tightly rolled joint and take a draw. When making edibles, this needs to occur before your cannabinoids are added into your recipe or food-stuff of choice, meaning the decarbing process needs to happen before making the edibles. The good news is, decarbing your cannabis is super easy to do.
How To Decarb Your Cannabis
Decarboxylation is an essential first step to making cannabis sugar successfully (and as mentioned above you’ll also have to de-carb your cannabis for any other type of edibles that you may make). If you want your canna sugar or brownies to deliver the effect you want, you need to grind the buds up in the right way and bake them in the oven at the right temperature to turn the THCA into THC effectively.
It’s common to grind buds very fine when smoking joints, but that may not work as well for edibles – Smaller pieces of plant matter will heat more thoroughly but also more quickly, leading to easily burned buds. Instead, we generally recommend staying away from an ultra-fine grind for decarboxylation, and suggest keeping the buds on the larger side.
As a simple overview: Take the buds you intend to use and place them on a baking tray, then bake for 30-45 minutes at 220-245°F. Check every ten minutes to ensure the cannabis is not scorched; if you see smoke or blackened weed, you’ve gone too far.
Decarbing can be a scary sounding process, particularly if you’ve never decarbed weed before, but it genuinely couldn’t be easier once you have the basics down. If you’d like to learn more about decarbing in-depth, as well as see our never-fail guide, make sure to check out our article “
” for everything you need to know!How to Make Cannabis Sugar
So, want to know how to make canna sugar? First, you’ll need your (decarbed) cannabis buds. It’s a good idea to choose a strain you like as well as one that has a potency you are comfortable with, as your choice of dried herbs will ultimately determine the strength of the cannabis sugar.
From there, making cannabis sugar is very easy when you follow the recipe – Why not try making a batch this weekend yourself to see just how simple it is (and give yourself a nice infusion to carry you through the rest of the week)!
Ingredients
- 2 Grams Decarbed Cannabis
- 2/3 Cups Grain Alcohol
- 2/3 Cups Sugar
Equipment
- Jar
- Cheesecloth
- Glass Baking Dish
- Airtight Container
Step 1:
Start by putting your decarboxylated cannabis into an airtight container and covering it with grain alcohol. Close the jar and let the plant matter sit for thirty minutes, shaking regularly.
After around thirty minutes in the jar, open it and place a cheesecloth over the top. Drain the cannabis-infused grain alcohol through the cheesecloth and into a bowl. Discard the flowers, or retain for a second (or third) infusion.
Step 2:
Next, add the sugar to the strained liquid. You can use conventional white sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, or any other type of sugar you want for your edibles or your coffee. Stir the sugar and the liquid together before pouring the mixture into a glass baking dish, aiming for an even, flat layer. Then, place the dish into your oven at 200°F.
Step 3:
The goal of this process is to evaporate the alcohol from the sugar, leaving only the sugar (and cannabinoids) behind. So, keep checking the oven regularly and remove the dish when all the alcohol has evaporated.
Alternatively, you can put the mixture on a pie plate and place it on the stove over a low heat. This will also cause the grain alcohol to evaporate and leave behind the cannabis-infused sugar for later use. Note, though, that this method can lead to fires, explosions, and other hazards – Only attempt in a well-ventilated room with open windows, and never leave your mixture unattended.
Uses For Cannabis Sugar
Now that you know how to make canna sugar, you’ll want to know how you can use it!
In many ways, canna sugar works in exactly the same way as ordinary sugar. You can use canna sugar to enhance the flavor and effects of tea and coffee, and you can use it instead of conventional sugar for baking cakes and bread.
Of course, you can also use canna sugar to
– just follow our delicious recipes, and substitute cannabis sugar for regular sugar where applicable. It’s important to note, though, that canna sugar doesn’t respond well to high temperatures – turning it into caramel, for example, will destroy the cannabinoids.The coffeeshops of Amsterdam became world-famous not just because they were one of the few places where cannabis could be smoked legally, but also because cannabis and coffee make an excellent combination of flavors. In our new health-conscious world, however, more people are ditching the smoke in favor of
, offering a light high with some aromatic coffee.Similarly, those who prefer tea to coffee might also enjoy a cup infused with their favorite cannabis plant. Once again, cannabis sugar is one of the best ways to
and enjoy the high of your choice without the adverse health effects of smoking.The only limit in using your cannabis sugar is your imagination! It makes a great substitute for regular sugar in just about any recipe – Perfect for when you get a sugar craving and also want to get high!
FAQs
What are some common mistakes when making canna sugar?
You’ve learned how to make canna sugar above, but there are a few mistakes that sometimes happen. First and foremost? Using too high a temperature. This is something to avoid in all steps of the process, from decarbing, to burning off the alcohol, and when using your cannabis sugar.
Using too high a temperature at any stage of the process will damage the cannabinoids, leaving your canna sugar more like regular sugar (or worse, burnt sugar). Remember: Anything above 430°F means your cannabinoids are literally burning away into smoke, so keep an eye on your temperatures!
Can I use canna sugar to make other edibles?
Yes, cannabis sugar is super versatile and can be used to make other edibles and cannabis-related products. If you want to increase the THC content of your cannabis brownies, for instance, then why not use canna sugar instead of conventional sugar?
Since you can use any type of sugar when making THC-infused sugar, the end product is incredibly versatile. Why not make batches using different kinds of sugar – or even different strains – so you always have something on hand for any edible recipe you want to make?
How much canna sugar should I use?
The amount of THC contained in the cup depends on the potency of the cannabis used; this is something to consider when measuring. Depending on your recipe, you might want to use regular granulated sugar or white sugar along with your cannabis sugar.
If your weed has a 20% THC content, you should typically get around 12.5 milligrams of THC per teaspoon of canna sugar, but this is still quite a high dosage. Most people only use a fraction of a teaspoon, which works out at around 5 milligrams.
You’ll also want to keep your tolerance in mind. If you are new to using cannabis, it’s best to start with a very small dose to see how your body reacts – You can always increase your dose next time if you don’t notice much of an effect. Those with more experience will find they can tolerate higher doses, and may want to scale upward accordingly.
Can I use brown sugar instead?
Yes, you can use any kind of sugar to make canna sugar, so whether you like your sugar white and sweet or brown and caramel-flavored, you can pretty much use the same recipe to make a batch.
The recipe in this article is a sure-fire way to make cannabis sugar successfully that you can then use to make edibles or to add to your food, but it’s important to follow the recipe closely, maintain the right measurements to ensure you get the result you expect, and consider the sugar’s potency.
Wrapping Up
If you want a novel and routine way to consume cannabis without any adverse health effects, then you should try to make some weed sugar. Weed sugar can be used for all kinds of food and beverage recipes, and having some on hand is the perfect way to make a mundane meal a little bit special.
Just remember: Making weed sugar is not as hard as you might think, and all you’ll need to do is follow the recipe in our article correctly. Importantly, always decarboxylate your cannabis before you use it in any infusions, and keep in mind that the potency of your sugar will depend on the strength and purity of the cannabis bud.
Have fun, and happy munching!