Infused edibles have been getting better and better in recent years thanks to favorable regulatory environments, endless creativity, and constant innovation in the cannabis industry. Today, gummies are one of the most popular types of cannabis edibles available. Gummies are a type of soft, chewy jelly candies that come in all kinds of shapes and sizes commonly seen as small teddy bears, worms, or simple squares. Their gelatin base makes them a perfect candy to create and customize easily from your home kitchen. 

What Makes Cannabis Gummies So Popular?

Gummies have several qualities that make them an ideal way to medicate with cannabis. They are small, low-calorie carriers of cannabis extracts, easy to travel with and to consume discreetly. They don’t readily melt like chocolate, and they’re easy to cut into sections for precise dosage control. Gummies can be made with a variety of flavors including fruity, sweet, and sour. 

Gummies are versatile too, since they can be made with MCT Oil, coconut oil, or butter that’s infused with cannabis. And you can use either flower, hash, or rosin to infuse the oil. In this article we’ll look at how to infuse MCT Oil with all three types of cannabis material. 

MCT Oil is our favorite carrier to use because it’s tasteless, colorless, and remains liquid at room temperature.

What Equipment and Supplies Do You Need To Make Cannabis Gummies at Home?

As far as equipment, you need only basic kitchen supplies plus a gummy-shaped mold to make gummies at home. Other ingredients you need include:

• Liquid sunflower lecithin (binds ingredients together and prevents oil from separating)
• Your choice of flavoring oils (optional, but will intensify flavor and fully mask any cannabis taste)

Infusing MCT Oil

The first step to making the gummies is to prepare your cannabis-infused oil. In our example we’re going to be using MCT Oil. After you infuse the oil, it’s ready for integration into the gummy recipe. All ingredients are mixed together, heated, and allowed to cool, then the gummies are ready for consumption. 

You can start with either cannabis flower, hash (bubble or dry sift), or rosin as the material to infuse the oil. Regardless of the type of cannabis material you’re using, it’s important to decarboxylate it first. Decarboxylation converts acidic cannabinoids into a non-acidic form which delivers the deepest therapeutic effects. For help with this step, read our article How To Decarb Cannabis. 

After you decard the cannabis, it’s ready for infusion into the MCT oil. For a complete outline of the process read our article How To Make MCT Oil Rosin Capsules. Instead of using the MCT Oil to fill capsules, we use the oil in the gummy recipe. 

You can also use cannabis flower instead of solventless extracts to infuse MCT Oil. After decarbing the flower, place the mixture of cannabis and oil over low heat for 60-90 mins, stirring regularly. Strain the oil through a cheesecloth to remove the tiny pieces of plant material that will be suspended in the mixture after the infusion is complete.

Learn how to estimate the potency of your infused MCT Oil in the article How To Calculate THC Content in Homemade Edibles. 

1. Pour ½ cup of water or juice into a small bowl
2. Whisk 3/4 ounces of unflavored gelatin into the liquid until it’s thoroughly incorporated. You’ll know it’s well-mixed when it becomes very thick. Allow to bloom. You may need to add up to 1.25 ounces total of gelatin as needed, in order to thicken the mixture. 
3. Set up a double boiler with water in the bottom pan over medium-high heat. Once near boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer.
4. Mix 1/2 cup of infused oil and 2 teaspoons of liquid lecithin into the top pan of the double boiler and whisk to incorporate. The lecithin will allow the oil to bind with the other ingredients, so this is essential to prevent the gummies from separating. 
5. In another small saucepan, bring ½ cup of water or juice to a boil.
6. Once boiling, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and one Jello packet (which should be 3 ounces) to the hot liquid. Mix well until it dissolves.
7. Once fully dissolved, pour the jello mix into the double boiler with the oil and lecithin while whisking consistently. Continue until all ingredients are incorporated.
8. Add the bloomed gelatin to the ingredients in the double boiler. 
9. Add a few drops of flavoring oils (optional).
10. Whisk consistently for 10 minutes to prevent any clumps from forming. The mixture needs to be consistent throughout! 
11. Pour the gummy mixture into a squeeze bottle, then add it to your molds.
12. Allow the filled molds to set for at least 30 minutes before removing the cannabis gummies.
13. You can either leave the gummies to air dry for 24 hours, or place them immediately in the refrigerator or freezer. Air-drying for at least a day at room temperature will reduce moisture inside the gummy and enhance the texture. 
14. Once they are fully dried, you can coat them with sugar (not the healthiest option but a tasty one!). Be sure they’re fully dried before adding sugar. 

Want to know how to figure out the THC content of your gummies? Check out our article How To Calculate THC Content in Cannabis Edibles and Tinctures.

Storing Your Cannabis Gummies

Like any product containing cannabis, the active therapeutic compounds will degrade over time. Gummies are best when consumed fresh, but they can still be kept for long-term use. If you make a large batch of cannabis gummies, it’s a great idea to freeze a portion of it for use over time. 

For short-term use, gummies will be fine in a bag left at room temperature for a couple of weeks. Keeping them in the refrigerator will make them firmer in texture and also slow down the degradation of cannabinoids. If you want to keep the gummies around for a month or more, store them in an air-tight container like a glass jar or a vacuum sealed plastic bag, inside the freezer. 

Conclusion

Cannabis gummies are some of our favorite edibles to keep around. Dabbing is the mainstay for solventless extracts but a good edible provides some great variety and a break for your lungs every now and again. 

Making gummies at home lets you increase the potency of each gummy over and above what is commonly allowed in dispensaries in regulated markets. For example, in California every gummy must contain no more than 10mg of THC each. But making gummies at home allows you to achieve much higher potency, delivering a deeply therapeutic effect in a tiny gummy. For those who require significantly more than 10mg of THC per gummy, making your own at home can be a game-changer. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is gelatin?
Gelatin is a food ingredient that’s normally derived from collagen sourced from animal body parts. Gelatin is colorless and flavorless and provides the main base for a gummy’s jelly-like texture. 

What is Lecithin?
Lecithin in a fatty substance that can be taken from either plant or animal tissues, and is commonly used for smoothing food textures. It’s also great for emulsifying and homogenizing liquid mixtures. 

What is a double boiler?
A double boiler is a piece of cooking equipment that can be assembled from two separate containers, a base container that holds boiling water and another container inside that holds the ingredients you want to cook. You can even use two basic kitchen pots, one stacked inside the other. 

How long does it take to make cannabis gummies?
Including decarboxylating the cannabis (30 mins), infusing the oil (60 mins), cooking the gummies (30 mins), the entire process can take only 2-3 hours. Then allow for a cooling period and optional air-drying for a day in the open air. 

How long can I keep cannabis gummies before they go bad?
Gummies are fine if kept at room temperature for a week or two. For a few weeks they’ll be fine in the refrigerator. For a month or more, keep gummies in the freezer. The cannabinoids will degrade over time, so the fresher they’re consumed, the better.