Gummies are a kind of cannabis edible based on the ever-popular gummy bear. Users can gain all the benefits of THC, CBD, CBG, and other important cannabinoids while enjoying the taste and mouthfeel of the popular gummy candies. Gummies, of course, can be molded into any shape, not just to look like gummy bears.
These chewy, fruity candies are a great way to get your daily dose of marijuana in an inconspicuous form. They can be chewed discreetly when smoking would not be an ideal way to enjoy weed. Every cannabis dispensary, but you can also make them at home.
A Simple Method of Making Gummies at Home
Here is a simplified recipe for making gummies at home. You will need a silicone mold for shaping your gummies into the shape you like, although you could make them into a sheet form and cut slices. You will also need fruit juice, gelatin, honey, and cannabutter. A number of online resources refer to “grass-fed gelatin” for making vegan cannabis gummies, but since there aren’t any plants that feed on grass, they really mean agar-agar (which doesn’t eat grass either).
It also helps, but isn’t absolutely necessary, to have a candy thermometer.
Ingredients List
- 1-1/2 cups (350 ml) of your favorite fruit juice
- 4 tablespoons (60 grams) of gelatin
- 3 tablespoons (20 grams) of honey
- 1-1/2 cups (350 ml) of cannabutter
- 3 teaspoons (15 grams) lecithin, preferably liquid sunflower lecithin
We will have more to say about making cannabutter a little later.
Steps for Making Cannabis Gummies
1. Pour the fruit juice into a saucepan.
2. Add honey, stir, then taste to make sure it is sweet enough. Add more honey if it is not.
3. Stir the lecithin into the fruit juice and honey.
4. Stir the cannabutter into the mixture of fruit juice, honey, and lecithin.
5. Turn the heat on low to bring the fruit juice, cannabutter, and lecithin to 150° F (65° C). It is best to use a candy thermometer, you don’t get it too hot, but if you don’t have a candy thermometer, heat the mixture until it is just beginning to bubble around the edges. Do not boil.
6. Pour the warm mixture into your silicone mold. Put the mixture and the mold into the refrigerator for 4 hours.
7. Remove your gummies from the mold. They are now ready for consumption. Store gummies in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
How Do You Make Cannabutter?
Cannabutter is a versatile and tasty way to make marijuana edibles. Sometimes cannabutter is made with actual butter, but it can be made with coconut oil (which we recommend for gummies) or olive oil. THC and CBD don’t dissolve in water. They only dissolve in fat, so it is necessary to use a fatty substance to disperse them evenly through gummies, candies, brownies, and other cannabis edibles. Cannabis oil is ingested, rather than smoked, so it is a healthier way to enjoy your weed.
The first step in making cannabutter is decarboxylating the cannabinoids in the bud. Decarboxylating refers to a necessary chemical change that transforms chemicals in the plant so they can get you stoned or make you high.
The need for decarboxylation is the reason that pot is usually smoked or vaped. Marijuana that has not been heated to 225° F (about 110° C) will not change the way you feel. Since you make gummies in the refrigerator, not in the oven, you have to decarboxylate your marijuana first, and then add it to your cannabutter.
Here is an easy way to make cannabutter. You will need marijuana bud and coconut oil for this cannabutter. Use about an eighth for every quarter-cup of coconut oil to make very strong gummies, or an eighth for every half-cup of coconut oil for milder gummies.
1. Line a cookie sheet or a baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Break up the bud into the smallest pieces you can and spread them across the pan.
2. Place the pan with your pot into an oven you have preheated to no more than the previously mentioned 225° F (about 110° C). Roast your pot for 45 minutes, taking care not to let it burn.
3. Let your roasted bud cool. Then mix the marijuana into the coconut oil and stir thoroughly.
4. Put the marijuana and coconut oil into a saucepan. Put the saucepan on a burner on the lowest possible setting, letting it simmer for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. After you have cooked your cannabutter, strain it through a cheesecloth to remove any bits of plant matter. Put your coconut oil cannabutter it in a clean, glass container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it for making gummies. It will “freeze” and only thaw after it is heated above 78° F (25° C). This makes it a good choice for gummies that you store in the fridge, but you should not leave them out for more than a few minutes at a time.
Calculating the Amount of THC in Your Gummies
Many recipes for cannabis gummies have a complicated formula for computing how much THC is in each gummy, so you won’t have an unexpected experience when you eat them. Here is a simpler computation:
- Calculate the total THC in the bud you bought. If you bought an ounce (approximately 28 grams) of pot, and it is 10 percent THC, then it has 10 percent of 28 grams of or 2800 mg of THC.
- Count the number of gummies you made.
- Divide the amount of THC in the entire batch by the number of gummies you made. If you made 100 gummies with 2800 mg of THC, then there is 28 mg of THC in each gummy (which is enough for a very strong effect for most people).
How much THC gets into your gummies depends on how much THC there was in the bud.
