How to Make Edibles for Beginners

Do you love the hours of relaxation and euphoria that edibles can provide – but not their prices?

Have you wanted to try creating your own infused treats but don’t know where to start?

You’re in the right place! Making edibles may seem daunting but with the right knowledge and tools, you’ll be elevating your dishes in no time.

Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Making Edibles below to learn:

• What you need to know before you get started
• How to decarboxylate your plant material (and what that even means)
• How to make your own infusion
• How to prepare your dishes

Let’s get cooking!

Edibles 101: Your introduction to higher-level cooking

Edibles are a lung-friendly – and tasty – option for consumers, many of whom report experiencing both body relaxation and mental euphoria that typically start at least 45 minutes after ingestion and last for hours.

Start low and go slow!

Everyone experiences edibles differently based on their tolerance, metabolism, and other factors. Because the effects of edibles are both delayed and long-lasting, it’s crucial to get the dosing right – or you might have a bad time.

If you’ve never tried an edible before, 5 mg or below is probably a good place to start and work your way up from there. 

Don’t make the mistake of increasing your dose because you think it isn’t working a half hour in or you might end up with an uncomfortable experience an hour later. Wait at least an hour and a half to ensure your body has time to fully metabolize your first dose.

Know your dose

Not sure how to convert the potency levels listed on your product’s label into the potency of your final product? We’re here to help!

It’s a complicated formula that factors in type and amount of your product, type and amount of fat you're infusing and using, and – most importantly – the method of heating. Decarboxylation gets the most out of your plant material with significantly more potent results than traditional cooking methods.

Decarb enthusiasts: Stay tuned for the launch of an Ardent dosage calculator!

Do more with less

You might not want to invest an ounce of your flower into your elevated treat – especially with some of these store prices – and fear not: you don’t need to.

It’s a common misconception that you need to use a lot of flower to enhance your dish but a little can go a long way. For example…

• Infusing 3.5 grams into 4 tablespoons of butter using traditional cooking methods would yield 8 pieces with approximately 15 mg doses
• Infusing 3.5 grams using decarboxylation with Ardent technology would yield 8 pieces with approximately 56 mg doses.

Making Edibles for Beginners

Step 1: Always Decarb First

What is Decarboxylation?

Whether you’re applying a flame and inhaling, simmering in butter, or decarboxylating, heat is a crucial element to unlocking active ingredients that are locked in acid form to make them bioavailable to your body’s receptors.

Decarboxylation is the process of applying just the right amount of heat at just the right amount of time to activate the special effects in plant material.

Why you should decarboxylate

There are numerous benefits to decarboxylating your flower:

• Save flower and save money by doing more with less and get 4-5 times more doses than you would with traditional cooking methods
• Once activated, you can have an Instant Edible
• Can be easily used for sublinguals and medicines as well as edibles

How to decarboxylate your plant material

There are a number of different home kitchen solutions that you can experiment with. Methods include:

• Oven Decarb
• Mason Jar Decarb
• Sous Vide Decarb
• Toaster Oven Decarb
• Ardent Nova and Ardent FX

Without an easy, precise tool like an Ardent device, it can be overwhelming to try figuring out how to get that right amount of heat for that right amount of time. You want to avoid burn off, degradation of active chemicals, and/or failure to fully convert the available active chemicals.

Be prepared for some trial and error as you try to reconcile conflicting recommendations and imperfect science, but any of these methods will get more out of your plant than simply infusing your butter on the stove!

Here are a few things to consider as you experiment with decarboxylation:

Crockpot 

The crockpot is one of the most popular decarb methods. The idea behind using the crockpot/water bath method is that water boils at a constant temperature (212 °F) and provides better control than the fluctuations of an oven. 

Unfortunately, the comparatively low temperature of boiling water to other methods will never allow you to achieve a full, efficient decarb. The lengthy process tends to degrade the plant material due to excessive time exposed to heat.

Oven

Decarbing is a precise process and ovens aren’t designed for lab-grade precision heating, and different areas of the oven fluctuate an average of 10°F in either direction. 

For a process as sensitive as decarboxylation, these variations lead to either burning off active ingredients or failing to fully activate – either of which will waste your plant and your money.

Toaster Oven

If you’re experimenting with decarbing in a toaster oven, try your best to avoid the common pitfalls of damaging the flower or under-decarbing. Their lack of efficient temperature controls, sporadic and intense heating and cooling, and the location of the heating elements can all impact the effectiveness of your decarb.

Ardent FX and Ardent Nova

The Ardent FX and Ardent Nova are precision decarboxylators, maximizing the potential of your plant material by delivering full activation during each cycle with the simple press of a button.

Ardent technology guarantees 97-100% activation of your plant material every time. With our devices, you’re maximizing the special effects of your herb, maximizing the dosage in your treat or medicine, all while saving money.

Plus:

• No baking sheets, big crockpots, sous vide equipment, or other dishes to clean – besides any of the handy, dishwasher-safe accessories you decide to use with your Ardent device
• No overheating your kitchen with a hot stove or boiling water
• No wasted plant, money or time
• No guesswork

To learn more about decarbing, check out Decarboxylation 101: Easy Beginners Guide!

Step 2: Infusion

Once you’ve fully activated your plant with your Ardent FX or Ardent Nova (or partially activated it with a homemade solution), the next step is to infuse it into a fatty cooking medium. 

Infusion Mediums

Fatty cooking mediums cling to the active ingredients once thoroughly mixed. This will help ensure an even distribution of the ingredients with each dose. 

Common infusion mediums include:

• Butter
• Ghee
• Most oils (you probably have at least one of these on your shelves: olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, MCT oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, etc.)
• Milk
• Cream

How to infuse your decarboxylated plant material with butter, oil, or other fats

There are three ways you can infuse your cooking material with your decarboxylated herb, including:

• Ardent FX or Ardent Nova Decarboxylator
• Slow Cooker Method
• Double Boiler Method

The Ardent FX and Ardent Nova provide the simplest, cleanest option for infusing your oil with your decarboxylated plant material. You simply put it in a glass jar of butter or oil (or use our Concentrate and Infusion Sleeve for a perfect fit), place the jar in for a second cycle, which will pull the ingredients from the plant into the fat, infusing the oil. Then, simply strain and use!

Wait, I can skip the infusion step?

Yes – with the Instant Edible Method, you can elevate any dish! 

Because you have already decarboxylated, your plant product is ready to be absorbed by the body as is. This means there's no need to run an infusion cycle if you want to simply consume the activated material as is. 

Simply grind up your herb and add it directly into your recipes. Use activated plant material as an additional ingredient inside cooking and baking, or sprinkle on top of foods just like any other spice.

There’s little to no prep work involved! For example, you can order takeout and easily turn a meal someone else prepared into an uplifting treat.

Step 3: Incorporate decarboxylated flower or infused fats into your recipe

Whether you’re making a quick and simple Instant Edible, or adding your infused medium to a recipe, incorporating it is a breeze.

Infused butter or oil

Replacing the butter or oil in your recipe with your new and improved infusion couldn’t be more straightforward: simply replace at a 1:1 ratio.

But just because you can replace all of the butter doesn’t necessarily mean you should! Remember to calculate the potency of your infused product, decide how strong you want your dish to be, and replace accordingly.

Infused butter or oil can be one of the most versatile ways to improve almost any dish and a handy staple for any kitchen. 

Decarboxylated flower

Incorporating decarboxylated herb to create an Instant Edible makes it super easy to take any dish to the next level. It can be especially helpful for recipes that don’t call for much or any butter or oil at all.

This is great for when your recipe doesn’t call for an ingredient that has a high fat content that you can easily infuse your decarbed plant into – but you can mix it into literally any dish!

Ready to get started?

Creating your own edibles might seem intimidating, but the most challenging part is taking the first step and giving it a try – and we’re here to make it as simple and accessible as possible!

Decarbing your flower will ensure you get the most value – and best experience – in every bite. With the Ardent FX or Ardent Nova, you know you’re guaranteed to get 97-100% activation every single time.

Whether you want to decarb flower and sprinkle on pizza for an Instant Edible, or you want to make your own infused butter and some delicious infused chocolate chip cookies – we’ve got you covered.

The Ardent FX and Ardent Nova have been dubbed the Easy Bake Oven for Adults, and can help anyone easily, efficiently, and accurately create any infused products in the comfort of their own home. 

Find the right Ardent solution for you and take your creations to the next level!

For more recipes, how-to guides, tips, and tricks for creating amazing infused edibles, be sure to visit ardentherbal.com.