As the world of weed grows, the options spin out of control, and this is both good and bad. While tons of new products are available, black market offerings can often be sold right alongside, and it can be difficult to know what the real deal is. The good thing about cannabis is that you can make your own products in your own home. Here are some basic instructions for how to make weed gummies all by yourself.
Cannabis gummies
The world of cannabis edibles has grown exponentially in the last few years. Whereas just a couple decade ago a person was lucky if they found themselves a good brownie, the current world of edibles is massive, going well beyond previous limitations, to involve using cannabis with all kinds of food. And it doesn’t stop there. These days you can buy sodas, juices, and even energy drinks infused with cannabis.
If you grew up prior to the cannabis boom, you know the often repeated line that the only way to make an edible is by leaching out the oil-soluble compounds into an oil, like butter. Because of this limitation, edibles always fit within a specific range of baked goods like brownies and chocolate chip cookies, which all involve the use of butter. Luckily, with today’s technology, that limitation is gone, and the options have multiplied greatly.
Are you interested in learning how to make your own weed gummies? This can be done with standard cannabis oil or tinctures, with CBD, or even delta-8 THC. Delta-8 is a great choice because it causes slightly less psychoactive effect, while providing virtually the same medical benefits, and without the anxiety and couch locking of delta-9. If you’re not up for doing it yourself, we’ve got you covered. The Cannadelics Newsletter. And save big on Delta 8, Delta 9 THC, Delta-10, THCO, THCV, THCP & HHC products by checking out our “Best-of” lists!
How big has the edibles industry gotten? Well, according to end-of-year data put out by Headset, a Seattle based cannabis analytics company, edibles accounted for 11.07% of the cannabis market in 2020, and this up from 10.65% the previous year. These numbers account for seven legal states: California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, which together saw a 60% increase from the year before.
All of this is great, but what about the problem of fakes? The cannabis black market is big, and not getting any smaller. As the legal market grows, adding products like vapes and gummies to the general repertoire of available products, the black market works to create corresponding, but artificial versions of the same things. This can certainly come with possible dangers, but beyond possible dangers, it means often getting sub-par products. This is why knowing how to do it yourself can be a big benefit.
Gummies and nanoemulsions
The edibles industry changed drastically with the implementation of nanoemulsion technology. One of the benefits of nanotechnology, is that it can work to force two liquids together that don’t usually go together, like oil and water. Putting together two liquids that would otherwise repel each other is called an emulsion. Depending on the size of the particles the liquids are made of, this can be a macroemulsion (bigger) or microemulsion (smaller).
When the particles are super small, 20-200 nm, its called a nanoemulsion. Nanoemulsion technology is not exactly new, and is often seen in the pharmaceutical industry, the cosmetics industry, and used by biotech companies. Micro and macro emulsions are already used widely in the food industry, and the chemicals industry for products like pesticides.
In terms of how it effects the cannabis industry, it means that a fat-soluble compound like THC, can be put into a non-oil-based food like a gummy. Hence the massive, and expanding, world of cannabis edibles – particularly gummies – which has been taking over. In terms of the fakes issue, one of the best ways around accidentally buying fake products, is simply to make your own. So get ready to harness the DIY warrior inside you, and learn how to make your very own weed gummies.
Basic recipe for how-to make your own weed gummies
Most recipes – like the one below – call for making cannabis oil as a part of the procedure. If a person doesn’t feel like doing this part, they can use a dispensary bought oil, and just should be careful with dosing. Though recipes can vary, this is a basic one that shows the general steps for making a cannabis-infused gummy using a separate emulsifier.
What you need for this cannabis Infused Gummies Recipe: 1/8 cannabis (or ready made oil), ½ teaspoon soy or sunflower lecithin, ¼ cup coconut oil, ½ cup water, 1oz gelatin – unflavored, and 6oz Jell-O pack – pick your flavor.
- Decarboxylate your cannabis for 25 minutes at 250º F, or use whichever decarboxylation method you prefer.
- Create the infused oil by taking the decarbed weed, mixing it with soy or sunflower lecithin (this is the emulsifier), along with coconut oil. Do this in an oven-ready container. Mix it up, then cover, put in water bath, and bake for approximately two hours at 250º F, stirring at the halfway mark.
This first part creates the ability for the emulsion that allows for different and opposing ingredients to be mixed together. If you are using a store bought oil, you can skip the first part and go to the next. After creating your cannabis oil:
- Remove oil and strain it, and then measure out ¼ cup.
- Combine water and infused oil in a saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
- Once boiling you can add in the unflavored gelatin (another emulsifier, which can be used on its own). Don’t stop whisking.
- Then whisk in the flavored Jell-O mix, and continue whisking for a good five minutes, while letting it get to a rolling boil.
- At this point turn your heat to low, and prepare the gummy mold by spraying with cooking spray, or using whatever you like to keep the gummy from sticking to the mold.
- Fill each mold with a spoon, or dropper if necessary, but make sure to keep stirring the mix.
- To firm them up, put in the freezer for 20 minutes, or the refrigerator for an hour.
- Go ahead and eat them! Leftovers can be stored for 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature, or frozen for use later.
How to make a more natural, juicy, alternative for weed gummies
Maybe you want your gummies to taste more naturally fruitier, and maybe you don’t want to use soy or sunflower lecithin. In this case, its good to remember that gelatin itself is an emulsifier, though it might not work quite as well as lecithin. The following recipe is for orange flavored Ganja Gummies. As it does not use another emulsifier like soy or sunflower lecithin, the end result may not be as firm as with other recipes.
This recipe calls for the following: one large pack of orange Jell-O, 1 ½ cups of orange juice, ½ cup honey, ¼ cup cannabis oil, four packs of gelatin, and cornstarch. The cooking instructions go as follows:
- Take a saucepan and combine the Jell-O pack and one cup of orange juice. Add in the honey and cannabis oil, heating slowly, and stirring it frequently.
- Mix gelatin and ½ cup of orange juice in a separate bowl and let it sit for five minutes. Then add to Jell-O and heat for 5-7 minutes over low heat, whisking the whole time.
- Pour the mix into small cups or a silicon mold. Cool it at room temperature before putting in the refrigerator.
- Remove from cups/molds, douse with cornstarch to keep from sticking.
- Enjoy!
How to make weed gummies with a tincture
Perhaps you’d rather make your cannabis gummies with a tincture rather than cannabis oil. Well, that can be done too. And in perfect paleo fashion. Here’s a recipe for Paleo Berry Cannabis Gummies. This is another lecithin-free recipe.
For this recipe you’ll need: 2/3 cup pureed berries (whichever kind you like), 1/3 cup water, one tablespoon of lemon juice, two tablespoons honey or maple syrup, two-three teaspoons of your cannabis tincture (be careful to consider dosing), and three tablespoons grass fed gelatin.
- Over medium-low heat, combine pureed berries, lemon juice, water, and honey in a saucepan.
- Then add in the cannabis tincture.
- Whisk in the gelatin slowly, keep going until all ingredients are together and the mixture is smooth. Then turn off the heat.
- Using a dropper or spoon, fill the gummy mold with mixture.
- Let it cool in the freezer for five minutes, or the refrigerator for 15.
- Enjoy!
Conclusion
The good thing to know is that there are options for how to make your weed gummies. If you don’t like the idea of soy or sunflower lecithin, you can use a recipe that utilizes the gelatin’s ability to emulsify. You can go paleo, juicy, or standard Jell-O flavor. And however you do it, the one thing for sure is that if you make them yourself, your gummies will be real.
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Disclaimer: Hi, I’m a researcher and writer. I’m not a doctor, lawyer, or businessperson. All information in my articles is sourced and referenced, and all opinions stated are mine. I am not giving anyone advise, and though I am more than happy to discuss topics, should someone have a further question or concern, they should seek guidance from a relevant professional.