Can You Cook with CBD Oil?
The most common way to consume CBD oil is to hold it under your tongue for a minute or two before swallowing. It will then be absorbed through your mucus membranes, which is much more efficient than through the stomach.
However, some people find they don't like the authentic bitter taste of CBD oil. They still want the health benefits of CBD but putting it under their tongue is not an attractive option.
CBD gummies or our delicious CBD infused chocolate bites from our CBD edibles range are good alternatives if you struggle with the taste. Or you could try putting a few drops of CBD oil on a piece of bread, a biscuit, or even something like a square of chocolate or cake. We also have a range of flavoured CBD oils and sprays for those who similarly want to avoid the natural flavour of CBD.
Why not try cooking or baking with CBD oil?
Putting CBD oil in food can solve the taste problem and improve the absorption into your bloodstream. Baking with CBD could not be easier, simply add the CBD oil to whatever fat you’re using!
Like all cannabinoids, CBD is fat-soluble; therefore, your body absorbs it best when paired with fat-containing foods. For optimal CBD absorption, it is best to infuse CBD with a fatty base ingredient.
So, ideally, use oil in your recipes - whether that is vegetable oil, olive oil, or hemp seed oil - and just add the number of CBD oil drops that you need before continuing with your recipe.
Coconut oil has been shown to be particularly effective at helping with the absorption of cannabinoids, and it’s becoming increasingly popular as a healthy alternative to olive oil and vegetable oil.
Coconut oil is quicker and easier to digest than other plant-based oils, like olive oil and can be used safely even in high-temperature cooking when other oils begin to break down. Just remember to allow it to cool completely before taking that first delicious bite!
CBD Recipe Ideas
How to incorporate CBD oil in food
If you struggle with the taste of CBD oil, as we have suggested, you could try putting CBD oil in food. Here are a few simple CBD recipes:
- Top your popcorn, potatoes, or toast with butter infused with CBD oil to create an afternoon snack packed with CBD goodness
- Add CBD oil to your favourite brownie or cake recipe (check out our CBD-infused chocolate brownies recipe) to make your own CBD edibles
- Use butter infused with CBD oil just like other cooking oils to sauté vegetables
- Slice up some cherry tomatoes, cucumber and salad to mask the taste with natural sweetness
- Add CBD oil to sauces and salad dressings
- Add CBD oil to pasta — it tastes especially good in cream sauces
- Use butter infused CBD oil to make oven-baked vegetable chips or roast veggies
- Use it in spicy Indian or Thai curries to hide the taste of the oil
- Use your CBD oil in your morning smoothie or add it to your freshly squeezed orange juice
- CBD oil can also be used in alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and can even be brewed into beer
- Why not add CBD oil to a hot beverage? CBD oil is a great addition to your morning tea or coffee to help get your day started!
There’s so much you can use CBD oil for — the possibilities are endless.
Experiment to see what works for you.
What product you use in these CBD infused recipes all depends on personal preference. If you are a CBD beginner, you may opt for Love Hemp 300mg CBD oil, whilst 2020 Botanics 5000mg CBD oil is more appropriate for more experienced users who are after stronger baked goods!
As well as CBD concentration, you may want to consider the flavour of CBD oil you choose! Our Love Hemp CBD Oil range comes in four different flavours: Natural, Peppermint, Valencia Orange, and Wild Cherry.
Tips for Cooking with CBD Oil
Here are a few extra tips to help you get started cooking with CBD oil:
When you cook or bake with CBD, temperature matters.
CBD can be a bit of a fickle ingredient when it comes to temperatures. Warming the oil can increase CBD’s effectiveness, but higher temperatures can kill some of the active components.
CBD will begin to evaporate at temperatures higher than 160 to 180 degrees Celsius. All CBD recipes must keep this in mind.
Do not place your CBD oil on direct heat. Heating the oil at high temperatures can result in the loss of terpenes, which are compounds that work in conjunction with CBD to increase its overall effects. Heating CBD too high also tends to bring out more of its bitterness.
Given that CBD is highly sensitive to light and heat in general, your CBD baked goods should be stored in an airtight container and kept in a dark, cool place to ensure they stay fresh and maintain their quality.
Start small, don’t use too much CBD
It’s a good idea to start with small amounts when you’re first experimenting with CBD oil in food as the flavour can be quite strong.
And don’t forget to get creative and have fun.
When you first start cooking with CBD oil, it’s far too easy to add too much CBD to a recipe, which usually leads to bad flavours, wasted oil, and too much of the compound’s effects.
Less is more, at least when you’re starting out
Along with the CBD serving size, consider starting with smaller batches. If the dish turns out good, then you can prepare the recipe again with a larger batch.
CBD dosage recommendations ultimately depend upon the tolerance of the person. Anyone new to CBD should start small with a few drops, perhaps between 5 to 10mg. Meanwhile, someone who is more familiar with cannabidiol might aim to make CBD brownies each with 25mg of CBD in them.
You will have to carefully think about serving size when you are executing any CBD recipes. If you want to make 20 brownies each with 25mg of CBD in them, for example, remember you will have to put 500mg of CBD oil into your mixture.
Over time, you will get more comfortable with different CBD serving sizes, allowing you to make alterations with future CBD recipes so that you can get the most out of your CBD edibles.
It’s also probably best at first to use CBD oil in food you can easily divide into portions such as cakes or biscuits.
Our favourite: CBD-infused dark chocolate truffles
We wanted to include an easy recipe to get you started. These no-cook CBD infused dark chocolate truffles are a simple, but delicious recipe that works well with CBD oil. The best part is that you can enjoy this sweet treat whilst reaping the extensive wellness-promoting health benefits of cannabidiol!
Ingredients - Makes: 20 truffles
- CBD oil - the amount will depend on the strength of the oil you use and the CBD dose you wish to take. As this recipe makes 20 truffles, just multiple your usual CBD dose by 20
- 5 tablespoons double cream
- 100g unsalted butter, cubed
- 300g dark chocolate, at least 70% cacao, chopped
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Method
- Gently heat the cream in a saucepan until it comes to a simmer.
- Add the butter and CBD oil (shake the bottle well before use), stir well.
- Add the chopped chocolate to the melted butter. Stir until the chocolate has also melted.
- Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a shallow dish.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, until firm.
- Roll the mixture into 2 to 3 cm balls. For best results, use a melon baller, though a small teaspoon can also be used. Roll each ball in the cocoa powder.
You can store these truffles in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or they can be frozen. Why not also try rolling the truffles in finely chopped nuts, desiccated coconut, decorative sugar strands or hundreds and thousands.
If you try this recipe, please let us know. We would love to see how well they work with our Hemp CBD oil.
CBD Recipes: How do you incorporate CBD oil in food?
We often hear from customers the inventive ways they add cannabidiol to food.
One regular customer tells us that she always finishes her breakfast with a slice of Marmite on toast with her regular dose of CBD oil included – which probably disguises the taste as well as anything can.
Another customer likes to use Rolos, the chocolate and toffee sweets. He makes a small hole in the top of a Rolo, drips in the CBD and pops it down.
Whether that always means eating the rest of the pack we don’t know, but a little of what you fancy does you good.
Have you got any clever or unusual ways of cooking with CBD oil or consuming your CBD oil in food? Dripping it into a boiled egg?
Adding it to a delicious, spicy ‘Virgin Mary’? Use your imagination when it comes to mixing CBD oil in food - there are no rules. CBD oil works great in both sweet and savoury recipes!
If you are struggling to find time to execute one of our CBD recipe ideas, check out our delicious CBD edibles or our extensive range of other CBD products!