I made many mistakes when making cannabis edibles at home instead of just vaping. Actually, I’ll be honest – I made all of them! I soon found that it’s not as simple as tossing some bud into a packet of brownie mix and calling it a day. Save your stash and learn from my mistakes, and how you can sidestep them like a pro.
Table of Contents
My Mistakes When Making Cannabis Edibles
I made a lot of mistakes because I was careless when making the edibles. I now know that a good, reliable edible in the freezer, ready to thaw whenever I fancy, is a comfort.
Is Your Weed Overbaked?
I see many Reddit posts and X threads asking, “Why do my edibles suck?” The common answer is that overheating cannabis during decarboxylation is often the problem.
Decarboxylation (or “decarbing”) is the process of heating cannabis to convert the THCA into THC and the CBDA into CBD. But crank the oven too high, and you’ll burn off those precious cannabinoids faster than you can say “baked”.
Most ovens aren’t precise, and many people set them to 160°C (320°F) or higher, believing that hotter is better. Spoiler: It’s not. THC itself starts to degrade noticeably when exposed to temperatures starting at 157°C (314°F).
A simple solution is to use a stand-alone oven thermometer visible through the oven door. It’s also a good time to clean that door!
Pre-heat your oven first, then spread your ground cannabis evenly on a parchment-lined tray. Cover it loosely with foil to trap terpenes and prevent scorching.
Pro Tip: Trust your nose – if it smells lightly toasty, you’re on the right track. But if it starts to resemble burnt popcorn, you’ve definitely overdone it.
The best results come from using a POT by NOIDS herbal decarboxylator, which precisely decarboxylates for THC or CBD. It will also infuse weed, herbs and spices in oil for cooking with, and it can also make tinctures. It even has a clever attachment to reclaim the alcohol used for future use. Read this review of the POT by NOIDS.
Misjudging Potency
Is this familiar territory for you? You bite into your homemade gummy, and either nothing happens, or you’re couch-locked for 12 hours. When it comes to making edibles, dealing with uneven or unknown potency can be a real headache.
If you bought weed from a dealer at a nightclub, you don’t know its strength or strain. If you have grown your own from seed (I happily recommend Blimburn Seeds), then you will have all the information about the strains you have grown.
If you buy from a dispensary, you will also know the name and strength of what you have bought. Emily Kyle gives us this free Edible Dosage & Potency Calculator, which is a must-have resource. She is also an amazing educator, so please check out the rest of her website.
Sometimes it can seem overwhelming working the maths out, but skipping the maths or guessing can lead to unpredictable outcomes. A gram of 20% THC flower isn’t the same as a gram of 10% shake.
It’s best to do the numbers. For example, 1 gram of 20% THC flower has 200 mg of THC. It loses a little during decarbing, so for oven-decarbed weed, that can be 20% (that’s why the POT by NOIDS is far better!).
So the actual THC content becomes 200 mg * 0.8 = 160 mg. Cut that brownie mix into 10 servings, and that means each serving contains 160 mg / 10 = 16 mg of THC.
Top Tip: Don’t forget to label your batches with the strength and the date! In the future, you will thank yourself.
Bad Flavour Combinations
Have you ever found that your cannabis brownies taste like you mowed the lawn and baked them? That earthy, weedy flavour can overpower even the sweetest recipe. Cannabis has strong natural terpenes, and infusing it into butter or oil doesn’t always mask the taste. Pairing it with subtle flavours like vanilla just amplifies the funk.
Instead, go bold – think dark chocolate, peanut butter, or spices like cinnamon. For savoury recipes, garlic or rosemary can play nicely with weed’s profile. Water-curing your buds for 3–5 days by soaking and changing the water daily can lessen harsh flavours, but it also removes many water-soluble terpenes which can affect the therapeutic value.
It’s best to dry and cure your buds properly in the first place. If you’re using infused oil, make sure to strain it really well. No one likes a gritty texture in their food! The PBN features an incredible filter!
Top Tip: Add a splash of lemon extract to gummies. It really tones down that grassy flavour without getting in the way.
Uneven Distribution
One cookie gets you lifted, the next one’s a dud. Uneven THC distribution in baked goods ruins the experience and makes you doubt your baking skills.
Infused butter or oil settles if it’s not mixed thoroughly. If you stir too lazily or try to rush things, you can end up with uneven spots that are stronger than others.
Mix like your life depends on it. After infusing, let your butter or oil cool slightly while still liquid, then stir it into your batter for 2-3 minutes.
For gummies, whisk the infused oil into your gelatin mix over low heat until it’s fully emulsified.
Top Tip: Pour batter into silicone baking moulds, or cut edibles post-bake into equal sizes. Precision matters, and it looks good too!
Ignoring Shelf Life
Your infused brownies turn mouldy, or worse, lose potency because you didn’t store them correctly. The waste of cannabis is truly a tragedy. One of the biggest mistakes when making cannabis edibles is leaving them out! Leaving them on the counter in a baggie isn’t cutting it.
Homemade edibles don’t have preservatives, and THC degrades over time when exposed to light, heat or air. Store edibles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in your freezer for three months. Vacuum-seal if you’re serious about longevity. Keep them away from sunlight (THC hates UV rays). For oily infusions like cannabutter, a dark glass jar works wonders.
Top Tip: Wrap in parchment and freeze in individual portions. Pop one out when the mood strikes, rather than thawing a whole batch.
Conclusion
My first stabs at edibles were a total train wreck – think overbaked weed and gummies that tasted like regret. Avoiding these five common mistakes when making cannabis edibles at home is easier than you think!
Get the temp right, crunch the potency numbers, amp up the flavours, mix like you mean it, and store them sensibly. Now, you’ve got some goodies you definitely want to share, not just throw away! My freezer is now fully stocked with reliable treats, waiting for whenever I need them. No more rookie mistakes making cannabis edibles for me – and you can skip them too.
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