Cannabis olive oil is one of the lighter and healthier options when it comes to infused oils. It is a wonderful dairy-free alternative to cannabutter and it is an essential ingredient in many cannabis infused recipes.

Virgin olive oil is known for its many health benefits and contains lots of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. The FDA suggests that consuming a small amount of extra virgin olive oil per day may reduce your risk of heart disease.

This easy to follow guide will show you how to make cannabis olive oil at home, without any special equipment. If you want to jump straight to the recipe, click the “jump to recipe” button above. The step-by-step recipe is at the bottom of this page.

What type of olive oil should I use?

There are plenty different types of olive oil available to purchase these days. You can use any type of edible olive oil to make cannabis infused olive oil. We recommend using extra virgin or pure olive oil for this recipe.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil is considered the best quality olive oil that you can purchase. It is made using a cold-press technique which uses no heat or chemicals to extract the oils. It is known to contain a higher concentration of the natural minerals and vitamins from olives compared to other more processed oils. Extra virgin olive oil also has a nice natural olive taste and flavour compared to refined olive oils. It is not recommended to use it for cooking however it is great for salad dressings, sauces, dips, and other non-cooking recipes.

Pure Olive Oil

“Pure” olive oil is normally a mix of extra virgin olive oil and processed olive oil. It is extracted with the use of heat or chemicals which give it a less olive-y flavour and taste compared to extra virgin. Pure olive oil is a great all round oil and can also be used for cooking (unlike extra virgin). If you plan on using your cannabis infused olive oil for cooking, your should use pure olive oil rather than extra virgin.

How to make cannabis olive oil

Making cannabis olive oil at home is incredibly easy. There are multiple ways you can do it depending on your choice and what equipment you have available to use. The cannabis olive oil recipe we will be showing you today follows these 3 main steps.

Step 1 – Decarb your cannabis

To give your infused olive oil the medicinal effects of cannabis, you will first need to decarboxylate your weed. Decarboxylation is a process that uses heat to activate the THC & CBD in cannabis. This can be done at home easily by using an oven. Check out our extensive guide on how to decarb cannabis if you need help with decarbing your weed or have a look at our list of recommended cannabis decarb and infusion machines.

Dried cannabis that has not been decarboxylated will have little to no intoxicating effects if eaten. The cannabinoids in the non-decarboxylated cannabis are in their inactive form and not bioavailable. The decarboxylation process converts them from their inactive forms THCa / CBDa, into their active and bioavailable forms THC / CBD.

Step 2 – Combine & infuse with olive oil

Infusing olive oil with cannabinoids is a very simple and easy process that uses heat to extract the cannabinoids from the cannabis, and infuse them into the fats in the olive oil.

There are multiple ways you can do the infusion and today we will be using just a saucepan on the hob (the step-by-step recipe is further down this page). You can also use a slow cooker, crock pot, double boiler, instant pot, and mason jars in a hot water bath.

If you want to contain and hide the cannabis smell while infusing, the mason jar hot water bath method would be your best choice. It contains the smell within the mason jar while it infuses. You can make a hot water bath with a saucepan, slow cooker, crock pot, etc. Simply combine your decarboxylated cannabis and olive oil in a sealed mason jar then place it into the hot water bath on low/medium heat for a few hours to infuse.

Step 3 – Strain & filter

Once your olive oil and cannabis mixture has finished infusing, it is time to strain out the cannabis plant material from the oil. You will need a fine sieve/strainer, coffee filter, or cheese cloth. A saucepan infusion can take 1-2 hours while other “low and slow” methods like mason jars/hot water baths can take 4-6+ hours to infuse.

Now lastly, two more things to consider before we get into the step-by-step recipe – how much weed should you use, and what strain?

How much cannabis should I use?

This is entirely up to you. I personally recommend using 7 grams of cannabis per 250ml olive oil if you want a strong infused olive oil and 2-3.5g for a weak oil. Remember to always start with a small amount when testing the potency of your edibles! A tablespoon of a strong infused oil can be too much for those with low or no tolerance.

What strain should I use?

Again, this is totally up to you and your personal preference. Some people like indicas, some sativas, and some (like me) prefer the best of both worlds – hybrids.

Apart from the strain’s indica/sativa effects, it’s terpene profile is also something you should consider. A strain with a citrus or floral terpene profile would be a better choice than an earthy pungent skunky strain. If you don’t really care about the “terpene pairing”, then just use whatever strain you want.

Related Recipes

• Cannabis Coconut Oil Recipe
• Cannabis Infused Sugar Recipe
• Weed Milk Recipe