How to make weed infused hot cocoa

Delicious, relaxing, smooth, and sure to put a smile on your face no matter what the weather’s like outside – yes, we’re talking about weed. But the same also applies to hot cocoa, the perfect winter pick-you-up, which you can also serve year round – and with a healthy dose of THC right there in the mix. 

Go straight to the recipe

Why make cannabis hot chocolate?

If you’ve ever had a weed-infused mug of hot chocolate at an Amsterdam coffeeshop, or just kicked back with a perfect edible and some chill company, then you get why people love mixing it up sometimes with their weed. Edibles get you high with a feeling and a vibe that can be completely different from smoking or vaping weed, and can be a great way for patients to dose their medicine without having to smoke anything. But other than being a discrete, smell-proof way to get high, the act of preparing and eating edibles can also just be a fun and relaxing way to get more enjoyment out of your cannabis. 

Of course, if it’s cold outside and you’ve got the day off and the couch is beckoning, do you really need to be convinced to make some weed hot cocoa?

The dos and don’ts of edibles 

Edibles are a safe and fun way to consume weed, but there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you have the best experience possible. Mainly, you’re going to want to be patient and wait at least an hour for the effects to kick in. Edibles can take well over an hour for you to feel the effects, and if it’s your first time with a particular recipe, then you may need some trial and error until you get the dose just right. Arguably, there is no reason to be in a hurry if you have a hot cup of cocoa in your hand, so this shouldn’t be too hard. 

The other thing to remember if you want to have edibles that actually work, is to decarboxylate. 

What is decarboxylation?

Infusing some raw weed into your hot cocoa could produce an interesting flavor and some potential health benefits of its own, but it won’t get you high if you skip this step. 

Decarboxylation is a process whereby cannabis is heated up, “activating” the cannabinoids in the plant and converting THCA to THC, the wonderful chemical that can have you beaming with joy like the little girl on the Swiss Miss package. To make sure your edibles get you high, simply bake some ground cannabis on a cookie sheet at 220-245°F (105-120°C) for around 40 minutes. 

For our extended guide to decarboxylation, read more here.

How to infuse oil or butter with cannabis

There are many ways to make cannabis hot chocolate, but one pretty simple way is to make some weed-infused butter or oil, and then using a small amount in a regular hot chocolate recipe. 

For cannabis butter or cannabis oil, you’ll want to take some ground, decarboxylated cannabis, and simmer it on a low heat for a few hours, and then strain the mix into a container. 

Ingredients:

• 7-14 grams of ground, decarboxylated cannabis 
• 2 sticks of butter or 1 cup of olive oil, coconut oil, or MCT oil 
• Cheesecloth 
• Storage container

For infusing the oil or butter, the three main techniques are a saucepan, a double boiler, or a slow cooker. 

The most straightforward method is probably the saucepan. For making infused oil, simmer the decarboxylated cannabis for about 2-3 hours at around 130-150°F (55-65°C). For butter, simmer a cup of water and a cup of butter together and add in the decarboxylated cannabis and keep at a low heat for 2-3 hours. Make sure to stir occasionally and keep the heat around 160-180°F (70-80°C). 

For further details on the crockpot and slow cooker method, see the full cannabis oil and cannabis butter recipes. 

How to make cannabis hot chocolate

There is a wide variety of ways to make cannabis hot chocolate, and it’s really just a matter of taste. Here is a selection of different options:

Hot chocolate with cannabis butter or oil

While the potency of a batch of infused fat can vary, typically a dose of a half teaspoon or full teaspoon per mug of hot cocoa should work great. 

It’s similar to a standard hot cocoa recipe:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup milk 
• Pinch of salt 
• Cannabis infused oil / butter

1. Mix together the sugar, cocoa, and salt in a large mug 
2. Microwave the milk for 1-2 minutes or until hot (you can also heat on the stove)
3. Add hot milk mixture to dry mix, stirring well until blended 
4. Stir in the cannabis butter or oil and serve

You can also heat the milk in a pot on the stove and stir in the rest of the ingredients while it simmers on the stove. 

Hot chocolate with cannabis sugar  

If you’ve already made a batch of cannabis sugar (“canna sugar”), then you can easily add a dose to a mug of hot cocoa. The potency will vary by batch, but try to add in ½ teaspoon or a teaspoon of cannabis sugar per mug of hot chocolate along with the regular sugar. You may want to reduce the amount of regular sugar accordingly, if you don’t want it to be too sweet. 

Learn how to make cannabis sugar here.

Hot chocolate with cannabis milk 

Cannabis-infused milk can be used to make all types of dairy-based edibles recipes, but especially sweeter ones like ice cream or hot cocoa. 

The potency of cannabis milk can vary widely, but if you use around 2 1/2 to 3 cups of milk in your batch, with about 7 grams of 20% THC cannabis, then you should have about 1400mg THC in the batch. Many cannabis milk-based hot cocoa recipes call for a ratio of about 3 cups of regular milk to ½ cup of cannabis milk. If you’re worried about potency, simply increase the ratio of regular milk to cannabis milk. 

This recipe from the cannaschool is quite easy:

• 2  and 1/2 cup milk 
• 1/2 cup cannabis milk 
• 1/3 cup grated semisweet chocolate 
• 1 tbsp white sugar 
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1. Microwave the milk on high for two minutes
2. Mix in chocolate, sugar, and cinnamon
3. Microwave for another 3 to 4 minutes until foamy. Whisk until smooth and pour into 3 mugs. 

Alternately, you could also just make a standard hot cocoa recipe and stir in about a tablespoon of cannabis milk. 

Hot chocolate with cannabis chocolate 

Just like regular chocolate, cannabis-infused chocolate can be melted down to serve as the base of hot chocolate. 

It can also be easily substituted in a recipe like this one, which we reduced to a single cup. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk 
• 2 tbsp sugar 
• 2 ounces chopped cannabis chocolate (a half cup)

1. Heat the milk and sugar together in a saucepan on medium heat. 
2. Melt the cannabis infused chocolate in a microwave for 30 seconds intervals, stopping and stirring until melted. 
3. When milk reaches scalding temperature, remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate. 

This is a pretty potent mix though, so feel free to use a quarter cup of cannabis chocolate and a quarter cup of regular melted chocolate. 

Hot chocolate with kief or weed stems 

Kief and weed stems are two major byproducts of breaking up or growing cannabis that you can easily toss out – or put to great use. 

Both can be used to make cannabis hot chocolate with ease. With stems, simply grind and decarboxylate around a tablespoon. You can then add the decarboxylated stems to a simmering pot of hot chocolate, and let it heat for about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the milk into a mug and you’re good to go. 

With kief, decarboxylate it like you would cannabis flower, keeping a watchful eye to make sure it doesn’t scorch. 

Kief is quite potent, so you’ll only need to sprinkle about a quarter gram into the hot cocoa and serve. 

How much cannabis hot chocolate is too much?

When it comes to dosing with edibles, knowing your limits can be half or most of the battle. This can take some real trial and error, especially when trying out new recipes. It can also depend on several variables such as the potency of the herb used and your personal tolerance for THC. 

Your best bet when trying any of these recipes is to take it slow with a lower dose and wait at least an hour and a half to gauge the effects of the mix. With recipes for a single mug or just a couple mugs of hot chocolate it should be quite easy to tinker around with the dosing until you get it just right.  

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