The cannabis community has been cooking with cannabinoid extracts for decades. While most people think of THC infusions when they think of cannabis edibles, there are many ways to incorporate the plant into culinary creations.

Today we will explore using CBD oil for cooking. When you buy CBD with the intent of using it as cooking oil, you should know a few things. In addition, we will cover how CBD users infuse CBD oil and isolate it into recipes. 

Can You Cook with CBD Oil?

You can cook with CBD oil, but there is important information to understand before throwing an expensive, full-spectrum extract into a hot pan.

CBD potency will be dramatically reduced when exposed to high temperatures. In addition, CBD oil has a low smoking point making it an unsatisfactory option for frying and using as an everyday cooking oil.

When baking with CBD oil, we recommend keeping the heat below 325 degrees Fahrenheit. When the extract reaches a higher temperature, the potency degrades. When using CBD as cooking oil, you need to keep the temperature under 100 degrees, or it will start smoking.

While CBD oil is excellent to bake with, we don’t recommend using it as cooking oil. Many CBD users will use CBD oil as dressing or on bread but are careful not to allow it to come in direct contact with heat. Baking provides more opportunities to use the extract without getting it too hot and lowering potency levels.

Benefits of Cooking with CBD Oil

Many people enjoy infusing CBD oil into their food for various reasons. Eating CBD regularly ensures your body gets an adequate dose and increases endocannabinoid production. In addition, infusing CBD oil into foods masks hemp’s strong, earthy taste.

Another reason is to save money. CBD edibles are expensive and can get costly over time when using CBD daily. Therefore, purchasing the extract in bulk and infusing your foods will help save a substantial amount of money.

If you decide to try and make your own CBD edibles, be sure to use a significant dose. Eating CBD is less efficient than taking CBD oil sublingually, so you must increase your dosage to experience the same results.

CBD oil Vs. Hemp Oil

When choosing a CBD to cook with, make sure you aren’t buying hemp oil by accident. While hemp oil is extremely healthy, it is far less expensive than CBD oil and doesn’t contain any cannabinoids. 

Hemp Oil for Cooking

Many people use hemp oil for cooking because it contains protein, nutrients, and vitamins. However, hemp oil is made by cold-pressing hemp seeds, which don’t contain beneficial cannabinoids.

Can You Put CBD Oil in Food?

Infusing CBD oil into food requires making butter containing high amounts of CBD. This allows you to control how much CBD oil you want to put in your recipes. Adding CBD to butter is the most popular method because butter is in a significant number of delicious recipes.

Make sure you choose a recipe that does not require baking at too hot a temperature. If you put your CBD butter in the oven for a significant period, over 325 degrees, the CBD molecules will start breaking down.

Cooking with CBD Isolate

The best way to save on CBD is to purchase isolate. This is the least expensive form of CBD, and the crystalized substance is easily dissolved into cooking ingredients like butter. You can save even more by choosing CBD isolate powders.