How to make THC gummies

Many amateur weed chefs may have wondered by now how to make THC gummies. Brownies, cookies, and cakes often come from the home kitchen, but not many are whipping up gummies from scratch. Well, it turns out they could. Making gummies at home isn’t as difficult as it may seem, and weed gummies take just one extra step.

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There are lots of weed and hemp gummies available in the dispensaries and online, but there are also lots of reasons to make them at home. Some might be concerned with added ingredients or unknown strains, hoping to make gummies that use only approved ingredients. Others might want to experiment with fanciful flavors.

Whatever the reason behind the goal, one important way to be successful making THC gummies is to have everything ready to go before starting. The process moves quickly, one wrong move may result in a gooey waste of ingredients. 

#1 Pick your weed & infusion method

Lots of home cooks stand by the fact that cannabis coconut oil makes the best-infused gummies, but any cannabis-infused oil can work. Cannabis tinctures, infused honey, and even sugar can also add to a cannabis gummy recipe. Coconut oil is a favorite because it stays hard at room temperature. The resulting gummies are more firm, keeping the shape of the mold.

It’s possible to infuse cannabis coconut oil at home using conventional kitchen appliances and dishes like the stove or crock pot. However, there are cannabis infusion machines that simplify the process of turning cannabis flower or extract into THC oil. These machines also extend the possibilities of the infusions, making anything from cannabis oils to topicals.

Once the oil is infused, it’s time to get cracking on the gummy recipe.

#2 Decide on a gummies recipe

Gummy candy is traditionally made with gelatin, but this ingredient isn’t vegan. Candy makers seeking a vegan alternative often opt for agar agar powder, a product harvested from red algae. Figuring out which gumming agent to use is the first step in pinpointing a gummy recipe, which can be as simple as three ingredients.

Only liquid, sweetener, and agar powder are required to make a gummy mixture that molds into fun shapes. Obviously, for a cannabis edible, infused oil would be included as well.

Home cooks looking for recipe ideas may want to find a copy of The Weed Gummies Cookbook: Recipes for Cannabis Candies, THC & CBD Edibles, and More by Monica Lo. From adding kombucha as the base liquid for a dazzling effervescence to making weed boba, any cook embarking on a THC gummies adventure will enjoy perusing the recipes inside. The cookbook also includes an easy way to calculate cannabinoid content, like the desired amount of THC per gummy.

After the ingredients are together and the recipe is read through, it’s time to rifle through the kitchen cabinets for the necessary gear.

#3 Gather the gear

A few specialty items assist those making weed gummies at home. But there’s often tricks for people that find themselves missing a piece of the puzzle.

• Here’s the gear necessary for making THC gummies:
• Double boiler, or sauce pan and glass bowl that fits onto the top
• Saucepan
• Silicone spatula (for stirring)
• Whisk
• Funnel, squeeze bottle, or dropper
• Molds, or a cookie sheet with walls and corn starch

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#4 Make weed gummies

There are many ways to make weed gummies, but there is a basic process for traditional gelatin-infused gummies.
The basic steps on how to make THC gummies:

1.Emulsify cannabis oil

Put water in the bottom of the double boiler, or in the saucepan underneath a glass bowl, and bring to a boil. Pour the cannabis cooking oil and lecithin into the top pan, stirring until combined and an even texture has formed.

2. Add gelatin

In a separate saucepan, add water, juice, or other flavored liquid and bring to a boil. Add in the gelatin powder and citric acid or lemon juice. The citrus ingredient keeps mold from forming. Continue stirring rapidly until the gelatin powder dissolves.

3. Flavor gummies

Once the gelatin is dissolved, carefully pour it into the top pan of the double boiler with emulsified cannabis. Stir in any remaining liquid flavoring and whisk, keeping gelatin from clumping, about 10 minutes.

4. Pour into molds

Leave the pot on very low heat and stir now and again as you drop the hot cannabis gelatin into molds, don’t let it cool to room temperature. Pipettes, droppers, and squeeze bottles can be used to suck the mixture up and drop it into the molds.

For those that don’t have molds, pour a half inch of cornstarch into a walled cookie sheet. Press the divots into the cornstarch and pour small dollops of the hot mixture into the divots. Don’t let the gummies touch, the corn starch should be acting like a gummy mold.

5. Freeze

Place the molds or tray into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. Once time is up, remove the gummies from the molds. After the time is up, remove them and leave to air dry on parchment paper.

6. Store

Keep homemade cannabis gummies in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Storing the treats in the refrigerator adds a week or two to their shelf life.

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Vegan THC gummies

Vegan cannabis gummies and gummy adjacent bites can be made with various gelatin alternatives like pectin, agar powder, and tapioca.

Agar is the most commonly listed choice for a vegan gummy. A quick search renders a gaggle of bloggers sharing fresh juice gummy recipes. Lo also shares some recipes using agar powder, including Terrazzo Coffee Jelly, Kombucha Gummies, and Lychee Jelly, in Weed Gummies.

Gummy recipes that don’t use agar agar powder often land in their own sweet treat category. Pate de fruit is a gummy-like corn-starched square candy made with rapid-set pectin rather than gelatin.

Recipes for tapioca pearls, and black brown sugar boba balls, are also cruelty-free, though some use honey as a sweetener. The recipe includes dark brown sugar, molasses, and tapioca to get the gooey consistency of tapioca pearls.

It’s more than possible to make gummy candy without gelatin, even THC gummies. Treats like boba prove it, and there are surely more vegan gummy recipes to be made.

Turning non-infused candies into THC gummies

The most low-effort way to make weed gummies is to infuse traditional candies with cannabis oil.

How to make THC gummies out of regular gummy candy:

• Warm water
• 4 ounces gummies
• ½ tsp gelatin
• Cannabis oil
• Gummy mold
• Lecithin, maybe

To infuse traditional gummies, let the gelatin sit in two tablespoons of warm water. This is called blooming. The practice is also common when baking with yeast or making a French press coffee.

After five minutes, add the gelatin mixture to the gummies and pop it all in the microwave. Microwave in short increments, stirring regularly. If the mixture isn’t combining, add a bit of emulsifier like soy or sunflower lecithin.

Once everything is melted put it in the molds, pop those in the freezer for 30 minutes, and let them air dry on parchment paper. It’s that easy and can be the ideal choice for someone seeking the easiest option. It’s also a valid alternative for anyone who loves the taste of a non-infused gummy and wants the weed version.

Homemade cannabis gummy safety considerations

The most important tip about making THC gummies is to take every precaution to keep them away from children and pets–especially children. These adult treats look awfully similar to fruit snacks and candies that kids seek.

To keep homemade cannabis gummies away from kiddos, start by storing them in an opaque container. The container should be child-proofed in some way, or locked in a safe or refrigerated cooler. It’s also wise to avoid using molds that create gummy bears or other shapes that children are used to finding in a fruit snack bag.

How to make THC gummies: the final word

Making weed gummies at home can be simple and it can be gourmet, the most important thing to take away from this article is that it’s possible. Home cooks of almost all levels can make THC gummies, even if they lack some of the right tools. With these directions, tips, and tricks, it’s time to go forth and have fun making new cannabis creations in the kitchen.