Marijuana has remarkably transitioned from a taboo herb into a necessary health supplement. Today, it’s not unusual to stumble upon various cannabis-infused products in your local dispensary while scouting around for natural remedies. That’s especially true if you live in a country or state that has decriminalized weed.

Millions are turning to cannabis because the plant offers immense health benefits. Marijuana can treat pain, anxiety, insomnia, and inflammatory conditions like cancer and arthritis. Cannabis may also help manage diseases whose symptoms include nausea, physical & mental fatigue, drowsiness, and seizures.

The growing demand for cannabis products has triggered a rise in marijuana formulations. Unlike before, when weed products were mainly available as smokable blends or oral tinctures, you can now get your hands on several cannabis products, including marijuana powder.

This post takes an in-depth look into marijuana powder, with a particular focus on how to use these products in cooking.

How to Prepare Marijuana Powder?

Weed powder is made the same way as a powder from other herbal extracts. You begin by harvesting raw materials from a mature cannabis plant.

It’s essential to know the specific parts to harvest. Contrary to popular belief, the medically beneficial compounds in weed (phytocannabinoids) are not located within the leaves. These compounds are more abundant in the flowers and buds. So, these are the parts to harvest if you’re looking for quality marijuana powder.

But it’s also possible that you may not have a mature cannabis tree to harvest buds or flowers. In this case, you might invest in cannabis seeds. Although they’re considerably lower in phytocannabinoids than buds and blossoms, cannabis seeds can easily be crushed into powder and used as an ingredient in numerous homemade marijuana recipes.

Still, on cannabis seeds, it’s best to insist on feminized seeds. That’s especially if you’re also a weed grower. Feminized marijuana seeds produces high quality yield, are relatively resilient, and have a relatively fast maturation period.

Assuming that you now have your freshly-harvested cannabis buds or flowers, the next thing to do is dry them.

Once fully dried, crush the flowers into a fine powder using a grinder. You’d also do the same if using marijuana seeds instead of buds.

After crushing the seeds or extracts, allow the powder to dry completely before using it in any recipe.

Points To Remember Before Cooking With Marijuana Powder

Choose the Right Species and Strains

The cannabis plant produces numerous species. The three most popular ones include Cannabis indica, Cannabis sativa, and Cannabis ruderalis. These species differ across several parameters, including their maturation period, phenotypic characteristics, overall resilience, and phytocannabinoids profile.

When planning to cook with marijuana powder, the focus should be on the specific cannabinoids a species produces.

For instance, Sativa species are noted for their high concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive chemical in weed. THC boasts immense health benefits. But the compound can also be intoxicating if overdosed.

On the other hand, India species are loaded with cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is the primary therapeutic chemical in cannabis. If you’re preparing cannabis edibles specifically for medical use, then you should consider making your marijuana powder from India species.

Now, marijuana strains are like subspecies or cultivars of the plant. These strains could be Sativa-dominant, Indica-dominant, or hybrids.

Consider Terpenes Too

Terpenes are the compounds in weed that give the plant its distinctive aroma. And cannabis contains scores of them. Common terpenes include limonene, linalool, and pinene.

Like cannabinoids, the terpene profile in a marijuana extract depends on the species and strains you choose.

Note that terpenes can have a significant impact on your recipes. For instance, limonene has the same taste as lemon. Therefore, strains dominant in this terpene would be helpful when preparing a recipe that requires lemony flavors.

Decarboxylate

When using marijuana powder for cooking, a common rookie mistake is forgetting to decarboxylate the hemp flower.

Decarboxylation refers to the process of activating the cannabinoids in your cannabis powder. It mainly targets THC and CBD but can also enhance the effects of other rare cannabinoids like cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabinol (CBN).

To decarboxylate your marijuana extracts, heat the flowers (either before or after crushing them) to a temperature between 240 degrees Fahrenheit (115 degrees Celsius) and 295 degrees Fahrenheit (146 degrees Celsius).

Common Edibles That You Can Prepare With Marijuana Powder

Baked Goods

Baked goods include products like cakes, buns, and bread rolls. All baking recipes have one essential ingredient – wheat flour.

When preparing cannabis-infused baked products using marijuana powder, you’d typically mix the powder into the wheat flour. The quantity of weed powder to add to the wheat flour largely depends on the number of cakes or bread rolls you wish to make.

However, the conventional wisdom is to start with low servings of marijuana powder. That’s especially if using cannabis for the first time. You can then increase the portions gradually until you achieve your sweet spot.

Beverage Drinks

There’s a long list of beverage drinks that you can prepare using marijuana powder. The most popular option is cannabis-infused tea. These are drinks made from marijuana extracts infused in water.

The process typically unfolds as follows;

  1. Bring water to a boil.
  2. Add the ground cannabis powder to the boiling water and stir gently to ensure the powder diffuses uniformly in the liquid.
  3. Let the water boil for another 2 minutes as you continue to stir.
  4. Reduce the heat and strain the mixture.
  5. Drink the tea.

NB: Pure cannabis powder has a bitter, skunky, or earthy taste. To enhance the taste of your marijuana-infused tea, consider adding tea bags or coffee. Other herbal extracts like ginger, garlic, turmeric, and lemon are also recommended to enhance marijuana’s bioavailability.

In addition to cannabis-infused tea, other beverage drinks that you can add marijuana powder to include smoothies, fruit juices, soft drinks, and wine. Note that most of these products come ready to drink. Therefore, the best way to consume them with marijuana powder is to infuse the powder in water and add tiny drops to the drinks.  

Wrap Up

There are numerous health benefits of using marijuana powder in cooking. Better yet, several recipes can include marijuana powder as a primary ingredient.


As a parting shot, remember to go slow on cannabis. An overdose could trigger severe side effects. Most importantly, only use cannabis powder if it’s legally accessible in your jurisdiction.