The local dispensary near me is absolutely packed with all manner of CBD products. Everything from bath bombs to hemp-infused dog shampoo and CBD skin moisturizer.
As its popularity increases, CDB users are looking for inventive and unusual ways to get this healing powerhouse into their system – and many are turning to homemade recipes to make ingestion easier and hassle-free.
If you’re someone who likes to experiment and want to put together your own cannabis culinary delight, we’re about to share with you everything you need to know to start cooking tasty CBD oil-infused treats.
But let’s get back to basics. What even is CBD?
What once used to be an edgy and little-known secret, used by only the hippest of hipsters, is now a household name.
The cat is out of the bag, and even your grandma is probably putting a few drops of nature’s finest under her tongue before bed.
What’s in those little brown bottles in the dispensary near me?
You can’t go anywhere nowadays without hearing about CBD. But for the uninitiated, there can be a ton of questions.
Is it the same as marijuana? Can it get me high? Am I going to get raided by the DEA if I put a few drops in my morning iced latte? What does CBD even stand for? How does it work?
First off, no – it’s not the same as the marijuana you’re thinking of – although it is a close relative in the cannabis family. CBD is typically made from marijuana’s sister plant, hemp.
Hemp is similar to marijuana in almost every way – except it has negligible levels of the compound that produces the ‘high’ feeling of marijuana. It does have high levels of the cannabinoid CBD.
And no, you can put your mind at ease regarding law-breaking- as of 2018, all 50 states legalized hemp-produced CBD. You can purchase, carry, and use CBD whenever and wherever you like.
The sciencey part (listen closely)
The cannabis plant contains high concentrations of Phyto-compounds known as cannabinoids. These compounds also naturally occur in other plants (although not at the same level as in cannabis )and they’re also produced in the bodies of hundreds of animals that roam planet earth – humans included.
In fact, all mammals have a system in their bodies called the endocannabinoid system (we’ll call it the ECS) which processes and creates cannabinoids. When THC and CBD enter your body it is this system that produces the various effects and benefits.
The ECS is still the subject of ongoing research and scientists are still working out the finer details. But we do know that it is responsible for bringing various other functions of the body into balance, such as mood, sleep, appetite, pain, inflammation, pregnancy, and more.
When you take CBD, it interacts with this system and changes the balance of the functions just mentioned. Some people’s ECS produces too much or not enough cannabinoids, which explains the wide range of reported effects from smoking cannabis or using CBD oils and products.
Cooking with CBD Oil – the basics
Before you get started, there are a few basic nuggets of information crucial to getting the most out of your CBD creations.
Can’t handle the heat? Stay out of the kitchen
The most important thing to consider is your cooking temperature.
CBD has a boiling point somewhere between 320-350°F. If you get near or above this temperature for too long, the chances are you’re going to lose some or all of the potency of the CBD.
If you’re adding CBD to baked food, you’ll be safe if you keep things under 300°F. Boiling is pretty much a no-go, and grilling or frying food can make it a bit more tricky to get an accurate read of the temperature.
To be safe, you can always add CBD oil after the heating process is finished.
Warn your homies
It may be obvious, but it’s worth saying. If you’re cooking for friends and family, ALWAYS warn them you’re adding CBD to your food.
Like most substances, everyone has a different level of tolerance. What might be a fine dosage for you could induce side effects in others.
On top of this, CBD is known to block or increase the potency of a handful of prescription pharmaceuticals. The side effects in both cases are usually mild and short-term, but it’s always better to err on the side of caution.
Give them a heads up and let them know how many milligrams of CBD they can expect per dose and let them make a decision. Speaking of dosage…
Know your dosage
It’s pretty simple to calculate an accurate CBD dosage if you’re used to dropping the oil under your tongue.
When it comes to cooking with CBD oil things get a little complicated.
If you’re cooking one portion for yourself it’s pretty simple – just add the amount you would usually take.
If you’re cooking for a group of people or something like a cake that will be eaten in multiple portions, you have to calculate how many portions there are, how often you’ll be eating it, and adjust the amount of CBD accordingly.
In these cases, it can work out best to use high-strength CBD oil. With lower strength, you can end up using a large amount of oil which results in a very oily dish or food with a strong earthy CBD flavor.
How to infuse CBD with food
The simplest way to start is with beverages. Health smoothies are all the rage nowadays and adding a few drops of CBD to your superfood smoothie ticks off another in the long list of benefits.
Hot drinks are another easy way to get the ball rolling. If you’re a CBD user who can’t go without your morning coffee, why not combine them and kill two birds with one stone.
Another tip to keep in mind is that it’s always best to mix your CBD oil with fat. CBD is fat-soluble (which is why it’s traditionally found in oil). Fat is a great carrier for CBD and when mixed with fat it’s much easier for your body to digest.
Butter is a great base for CBD foods as it can be incorporated in so many recipes, both sweet and savory. But you can also try coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, ghee, nut oil – in fact, the options are endless.
If you’re feeling lazy or are simply pressed for time, you could opt for ready-to-use CBD-infused olive oil. You can pick bottles of high-grade olive oil already infused with CBD. These are great for drizzling over salads and pasta, or whatever you normally use olive oil for.
CBD recipes
To get you started, here are a few choice recipes that will have you cooking mouth-watering CBD treats in no time.
CBD Gummies
Ingredients
240ml or 1 cup of% fruit juice
2 tbsp of gelatin
2 tbsp honey
Your desired dosage of CBD oil
Method
Bring the fruit juice to a gentle simmer in a saucepan over a medium heat
Add the gelatin and honey to the pan and whisk until completely dissolved
Allow the mixture to cool (make sure it’s well below boiling – it should be cool enough to touch) and stir in your CBD oil
Pour the mixture into your gummy molds and allow them to set in the fridge.
Once firm, remove from molds and store your gummies in an airtight container
Mixed Mushroom CBD Stew
Ingredients
4-6 tablespoons CBD olive oil
2 chopped leeks
2 peeled and sliced carrots
3 minced garlic cloves
1 kilogram diced assorted mushrooms
½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
16 ounces of pasta or rice
Method
Soak the dried mushroom in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute leeks and carrots for 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic then remove from the pan
Put fresh mushrooms in the skillet and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Add salt, pepper, and rosemary, then the cooked vegetables
Cook pasta or rice
Serve mushrooms with pasta or rice.
CBD Pesto
Ingredients
2 large garlic cloves
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp CBD oil (use different strength oil to reach your desired dosage)
1/2 cup parmesan
Method
Simply put all the ingredients into a blend and press go
Continue to blend until the sauce reaches and smooth, even consistency.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Use your CBD
CBD Infused Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
1 Cup Sugar
½ Cup of Vegetable Oil
One tsp of Vanilla
Cocoa Powder 1/3 Cup
Two Eggs
½ Cup Flour
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Baking Powder
Your required dosage of CBD oil
Cooking Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F
Mix sugar and oil
Add vanilla and eggs thoroughly mix
In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients
Line a pan with grease or baking paper and pour in the mixture
Bake for approx 20 minutes
Cool the brownies for 45 minutes before serving
CBD and pomegranate hummus
Ingredients
400g of boiled or canned chickpeas
¼ cup tahini
4 tbsp of cold water
3 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of salt
¼ tsp of paprika powder
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp of olive oil
Your desired dosage of CBD oil
½ tbsp of pomegranate molasses
Method
Peel the garlic and cut off the root tips.
Drizzle with olive oil, cover with tin foil, and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes
Blend the cloves, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, paprika, and salt until smooth.
Add the cold water to the blender until the hummus reaches the correct consistency
Add the CBD and mix.
CBD buying guide
Now you have some recipes to get you started, you need to consider which CBD oil to use.
There are a ton of products out there and there’s a wide range of brands, qualities, and strengths. A lot of people have been burnt in the past and there’s a lot of horror stories circulating the media about people who have spent a bomb on products that contain little or no actual CBD.
A good general rule to follow is to always buy your CBD oil from a dispensary. CBD has become so popular in recent times that you can buy it in supermarkets, corner stores, and tobacconists. These guys are not CBD or cannabis experts, so the chances of them stocking low-quality oils are pretty high.
Dispensary owners are a different breed. Most owners pride themself on researching brands and only stocking the highest quality, most consistent CBD brands.
Another reason to shop CBD at dispensaries is because of the intimate knowledge they have about all things cannabis. If you’re new to this game, dispensary staff can give you a helping hand, explain the in’s and out’s, and recommend a product that suits your unique needs.
Always look out for CBD oil that is third-party lab-tested. Brands that test their products deliver consistent, reliable strength CBD oil that you can trust.
When it comes to which brand to choose, that’s entirely up to you. The general trend with CBD oil is the more expensive the oil the less of an earthy, hempy taste there is. If you’re mixing only a few drops of CBD oil with a large amount of food, the taste of the hemp will be overpowered by the food. So it’s not essential to buy a high-price, neutral-tasting oil for this case.
Job done! You have everything you need to know to begin creating all kinds of CBD-infused oil. Start with basic, and before you know it you’ll be adding CBD to everything and anything you cook.
Just keep an eye on your dosage, keep in mind the boiling point of CBD (320-350°F), and get creative!
Cooking with CBD oil – Beginner’s guide
The local dispensary near me is absolutely packed with all manner of CBD products. Everything from bath bombs to hemp-infused dog shampoo and CBD skin moisturizer.
As its popularity increases, CDB users are looking for inventive and unusual ways to get this healing powerhouse into their system – and many are turning to homemade recipes to make ingestion easier and hassle-free.
If you’re someone who likes to experiment and want to put together your own cannabis culinary delight, we’re about to share with you everything you need to know to start cooking tasty CBD oil-infused treats.
But let’s get back to basics. What even is CBD?
What once used to be an edgy and little-known secret, used by only the hippest of hipsters, is now a household name.
The cat is out of the bag, and even your grandma is probably putting a few drops of nature’s finest under her tongue before bed.
What’s in those little brown bottles in the dispensary near me?
You can’t go anywhere nowadays without hearing about CBD. But for the uninitiated, there can be a ton of questions.
Is it the same as marijuana? Can it get me high? Am I going to get raided by the DEA if I put a few drops in my morning iced latte? What does CBD even stand for? How does it work?
First off, no – it’s not the same as the marijuana you’re thinking of – although it is a close relative in the cannabis family. CBD is typically made from marijuana’s sister plant, hemp.
Hemp is similar to marijuana in almost every way – except it has negligible levels of the compound that produces the ‘high’ feeling of marijuana. It does have high levels of the cannabinoid CBD.
And no, you can put your mind at ease regarding law-breaking- as of 2018, all 50 states legalized hemp-produced CBD. You can purchase, carry, and use CBD whenever and wherever you like.
The sciencey part (listen closely)
The cannabis plant contains high concentrations of Phyto-compounds known as cannabinoids. These compounds also naturally occur in other plants (although not at the same level as in cannabis )and they’re also produced in the bodies of hundreds of animals that roam planet earth – humans included.
In fact, all mammals have a system in their bodies called the endocannabinoid system (we’ll call it the ECS) which processes and creates cannabinoids. When THC and CBD enter your body it is this system that produces the various effects and benefits.
The ECS is still the subject of ongoing research and scientists are still working out the finer details. But we do know that it is responsible for bringing various other functions of the body into balance, such as mood, sleep, appetite, pain, inflammation, pregnancy, and more.
When you take CBD, it interacts with this system and changes the balance of the functions just mentioned. Some people’s ECS produces too much or not enough cannabinoids, which explains the wide range of reported effects from smoking cannabis or using CBD oils and products.
Cooking with CBD Oil – the basics
Before you get started, there are a few basic nuggets of information crucial to getting the most out of your CBD creations.
Can’t handle the heat? Stay out of the kitchen
The most important thing to consider is your cooking temperature.
CBD has a boiling point somewhere between 320-350°F. If you get near or above this temperature for too long, the chances are you’re going to lose some or all of the potency of the CBD.
If you’re adding CBD to baked food, you’ll be safe if you keep things under 300°F. Boiling is pretty much a no-go, and grilling or frying food can make it a bit more tricky to get an accurate read of the temperature.
To be safe, you can always add CBD oil after the heating process is finished.
Warn your homies
It may be obvious, but it’s worth saying. If you’re cooking for friends and family, ALWAYS warn them you’re adding CBD to your food.
Like most substances, everyone has a different level of tolerance. What might be a fine dosage for you could induce side effects in others.
On top of this, CBD is known to block or increase the potency of a handful of prescription pharmaceuticals. The side effects in both cases are usually mild and short-term, but it’s always better to err on the side of caution.
Give them a heads up and let them know how many milligrams of CBD they can expect per dose and let them make a decision. Speaking of dosage…
Know your dosage
It’s pretty simple to calculate an accurate CBD dosage if you’re used to dropping the oil under your tongue.
When it comes to cooking with CBD oil things get a little complicated.
If you’re cooking one portion for yourself it’s pretty simple – just add the amount you would usually take.
If you’re cooking for a group of people or something like a cake that will be eaten in multiple portions, you have to calculate how many portions there are, how often you’ll be eating it, and adjust the amount of CBD accordingly.
In these cases, it can work out best to use high-strength CBD oil. With lower strength, you can end up using a large amount of oil which results in a very oily dish or food with a strong earthy CBD flavor.
How to infuse CBD with food
The simplest way to start is with beverages. Health smoothies are all the rage nowadays and adding a few drops of CBD to your superfood smoothie ticks off another in the long list of benefits.
Hot drinks are another easy way to get the ball rolling. If you’re a CBD user who can’t go without your morning coffee, why not combine them and kill two birds with one stone.
Another tip to keep in mind is that it’s always best to mix your CBD oil with fat. CBD is fat-soluble (which is why it’s traditionally found in oil). Fat is a great carrier for CBD and when mixed with fat it’s much easier for your body to digest.
Butter is a great base for CBD foods as it can be incorporated in so many recipes, both sweet and savory. But you can also try coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, ghee, nut oil – in fact, the options are endless.
If you’re feeling lazy or are simply pressed for time, you could opt for ready-to-use CBD-infused olive oil. You can pick bottles of high-grade olive oil already infused with CBD. These are great for drizzling over salads and pasta, or whatever you normally use olive oil for.
CBD recipes
To get you started, here are a few choice recipes that will have you cooking mouth-watering CBD treats in no time.
CBD Gummies
Ingredients
240ml or 1 cup of% fruit juice
2 tbsp of gelatin
2 tbsp honey
Your desired dosage of CBD oil
Method
Bring the fruit juice to a gentle simmer in a saucepan over a medium heat
Add the gelatin and honey to the pan and whisk until completely dissolved
Allow the mixture to cool (make sure it’s well below boiling – it should be cool enough to touch) and stir in your CBD oil
Pour the mixture into your gummy molds and allow them to set in the fridge.
Once firm, remove from molds and store your gummies in an airtight container
Mixed Mushroom CBD Stew
Ingredients
4-6 tablespoons CBD olive oil
2 chopped leeks
2 peeled and sliced carrots
3 minced garlic cloves
1 kilogram diced assorted mushrooms
½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
16 ounces of pasta or rice
Method
Soak the dried mushroom in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute leeks and carrots for 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic then remove from the pan
Put fresh mushrooms in the skillet and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Add salt, pepper, and rosemary, then the cooked vegetables
Cook pasta or rice
Serve mushrooms with pasta or rice.
CBD Pesto
Ingredients
2 large garlic cloves
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp CBD oil (use different strength oil to reach your desired dosage)
1/2 cup parmesan
Method
Simply put all the ingredients into a blend and press go
Continue to blend until the sauce reaches and smooth, even consistency.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Use your CBD
CBD Infused Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
1 Cup Sugar
½ Cup of Vegetable Oil
One tsp of Vanilla
Cocoa Powder 1/3 Cup
Two Eggs
½ Cup Flour
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Baking Powder
Your required dosage of CBD oil
Cooking Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F
Mix sugar and oil
Add vanilla and eggs thoroughly mix
In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients
Line a pan with grease or baking paper and pour in the mixture
Bake for approx 20 minutes
Cool the brownies for 45 minutes before serving
CBD and pomegranate hummus
Ingredients
400g of boiled or canned chickpeas
¼ cup tahini
4 tbsp of cold water
3 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of salt
¼ tsp of paprika powder
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp of olive oil
Your desired dosage of CBD oil
½ tbsp of pomegranate molasses
Method
Peel the garlic and cut off the root tips.
Drizzle with olive oil, cover with tin foil, and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes
Blend the cloves, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, paprika, and salt until smooth.
Add the cold water to the blender until the hummus reaches the correct consistency
Add the CBD and mix.
CBD buying guide
Now you have some recipes to get you started, you need to consider which CBD oil to use.
There are a ton of products out there and there’s a wide range of brands, qualities, and strengths. A lot of people have been burnt in the past and there’s a lot of horror stories circulating the media about people who have spent a bomb on products that contain little or no actual CBD.
A good general rule to follow is to always buy your CBD oil from a dispensary. CBD has become so popular in recent times that you can buy it in supermarkets, corner stores, and tobacconists. These guys are not CBD or cannabis experts, so the chances of them stocking low-quality oils are pretty high.
Dispensary owners are a different breed. Most owners pride themself on researching brands and only stocking the highest quality, most consistent CBD brands.
Another reason to shop CBD at dispensaries is because of the intimate knowledge they have about all things cannabis. If you’re new to this game, dispensary staff can give you a helping hand, explain the in’s and out’s, and recommend a product that suits your unique needs.
Always look out for CBD oil that is third-party lab-tested. Brands that test their products deliver consistent, reliable strength CBD oil that you can trust.
When it comes to which brand to choose, that’s entirely up to you. The general trend with CBD oil is the more expensive the oil the less of an earthy, hempy taste there is. If you’re mixing only a few drops of CBD oil with a large amount of food, the taste of the hemp will be overpowered by the food. So it’s not essential to buy a high-price, neutral-tasting oil for this case.
Job done! You have everything you need to know to begin creating all kinds of CBD-infused oil. Start with basic, and before you know it you’ll be adding CBD to everything and anything you cook.
Just keep an eye on your dosage, keep in mind the boiling point of CBD (320-350°F), and get creative!
