Cannabutter Separation Explained: A Comprehensive Guide

Cannabutter is a staple ingredient in many cannabis-infused recipes, but it’s not uncommon for it to separate during the cooling process. This separation can be frustrating and may cause you to wonder if you did something wrong during the preparation process.

We will explain to you the causes of cannabutter separation and provide tips and tricks for preventing it from happening. We’ll also discuss how to fix separated cannabutter and provide some ideas for using it in recipes.

Whether you’re a pro or new to making cannabutter, this blog will provide valuable information for ensuring smooth, consistent results every time!

What Is Cannabutter Separation?

This is the process by which the cannabutter (cannabis-infused butter or ghee) is separated from whatever liquid has been used in the infusion process. This process usually occurs when the water method is used to infuse butter or ghee with cannabis.

Cannabutter separation is an important step in the process of making cannabutter or ghee, as it allows for the easy separation of the infused fat from any liquid that may have been used in the infusion process. This ensures that the resulting cannabutter is pure and free of any unwanted contaminants.

Pro tip: Do not discard this liquid, as it can be used in a variety of recipes or added to drinks for an extra boost of THC!

Why Is My Cannabutter Separated?

Cannabutter separation occurs because of the differences in the densities and melting points of the ingredients that make up cannabutter. When making cannabutter, butter is infused with cannabis, which contains THC, which is responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis.

During the infusion process, the THC and other cannabinoids are extracted from the cannabis plant material and dissolved into the butter. However, the THC and other cannabinoids have a lower density than the butter and will therefore float to the top when the mixture cools.

This causes the infused butter to rise to the top of the mixture, leaving the water and milk solids behind at the bottom!

Several factors can contribute to cannabutter separation, including the quality of the butter and cannabis used, the length of the infusion process, and the temperature at which the infusion is performed.

How to Fix The Cannabutter Separation?

It is easy to fix and you won’t lose any important ingredients in the process. Remember that the trichomes containing cannabinoids like THC and CBD are attracted to fat, so they are bonded to the infused butter, not the excess water or milk solids.

Therefore, it is safe simply drain the excess water and blot the butter with a paper towel if needed. But keep in mind that you have these other ways to fix cannabutter separation and achieve a smooth, homogenous mixture:

• Heat and stir the mixture: Gently heat the mixture and stir it until the ingredients are well combined. This can help to melt the butter and dissolve the milk solids, resulting in a smoother and more homogenous mixture.
  
  
• Use an immersion blender: Blend the cannabutter slowly and carefully, as blending it too quickly or too aggressively can cause it to become too thick or too thin.

Ways To Avoid Cannabutter Separation

Now you know that this is a natural process that occurs halfway through, when our cannabutter is allowed to sit and cool. The good news is that here are some tips you can put into practice to help prevent cannabutter separation:

Consider Using Ghee Or Clarified Butter

Stop using regular butter, this may be the main reason why your cannabutter always contains those annoying white particles.

Ghee is butter that has had the milk solids removed, and can be purchased or made by gently boiling butter over low heat and skimming off the foam or milk solids.

To clarify butter at home, melt the butter in a saucepan and strain out the milk solids using a coffee filter or fine-mesh strainer. The resulting melted butter should be clear with no visible white spots!

Use Oil

Another great way to avoid this issue is to use an option that does not contain milk solids, so what about switching to oil?

We would recommend you go with one of the following:

• Olive oil.
• Vegetable oil.
• Coconut oil.
• MCT oil.

However, it is important to note that while coconut oil solidifies at room temperature, other cannabis oils, such as MCT, olive, and vegetable oils, remain liquid and this may impact the final result of certain baked recipes.

Try With Butter Molds

To begin, if you are using butter molds, it is important to place them on a baking sheet to prevent them from spilling.

Next, use a spoon to carefully fill the first two sticks of the mold with the hot-infused butter. This will leave the third stick containing a small amount of the remaining infused butter and milk solids. You will only need to remove a small number of milk solids from one stick.

The last one will be left empty, as some of the water volumes will be lost during the cooking process. After completing these steps, the first two sticks of butter will be pure infused cannabutter!

How to Make Cannabutter

There are several methods for making cannabutter, and many of them involve creating a water bath to infuse the ingredients. Using hot water helps to gently heat the ingredients without reaching temperatures that could damage the cannabinoids.

If you’re new to making cannabutter, consider making weed butter with a coffee maker!

FAQ:

Conclusion:

Understanding the causes and prevention of cannabutter separation is an important part of making consistent, high-quality cannabis-infused butter.

While there are several potential factors that can contribute to separation, following best practices for preparing and storing cannabutter can help you avoid this issue. If separation does occur, there are several ways to fix it and incorporate the cannabutter into your recipes.

With the information we’ve provided, you should now have the knowledge and tools you need to create smooth, consistent cannabutter every time!