How to Make Cannabis Ice Cream

Picture this: a combination of ice cream and your favourite strain of cannabis. Sounds like the perfect dream, right? Well, dream no longer! Time to tantalise those taste buds and make this into a reality! You’ll be surprised by just how easy it is to make cannabis-infused ice cream.

We’ve put together a short, handy video that gives you an overview of how to make cannabis-infused ice cream. But don’t worry about following along with the video; we’ll go through the recipe below so you can work at your own pace.

HOW DOES WEED ICE CREAM WORK?

Much like other edibles you may have bought or made, cannabis ice cream is just another way to enjoy your weed. Getting a buzz off of ice cream while cooling down on a hot summer’s day just sounds idyllic.

Be careful, though! Like with any edibles, it may be tempting to have a bit too much without realising it, and before you know it, it's all gone and you're super high! However, you can always look to store your ice cream in separate, smaller containers as a way of portion control. This way, you won't get caught up in the deliciousness of it all and keep eating.

But before we get into all of that, there are a few steps you must take before you can enjoy your frozen delicacy.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CANNABIS ICE CREAM

Now that you’ve seen the video, we'll give you a breakdown of all the ingredients and equipment you need to make this fantastic, ice-cold, indulgent delight. Then, we will go over the process of preparing your weed for consumption, and finally, how to make weed ice cream yourself.

INGREDIENTS

• 5g hash or 10g finely ground bud
• 500ml heavy cream (or vegan equivalent)
• Pinch of salt
• 400g banana
• 75g sugar or alternative sweetener
• 3 tbsp. rum
• 2 tbsp. butter (or vegan equivalent)
• 5 tbsp. honey (or vegan equivalent)

Of course, you are welcome to substitute any of the ingredients mentioned above or simply add others to satisfy your palate (such as nuts, cookies, etc…).

HARDWARE

For decarboxylation:

• Large sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• Spatula or stirring device

For ice cream:

• Two large saucepans
• Whisk
• Large bowl
• Freezer storage container with lid

DECARBOXYLATION

Before we get into the ice cream instructions, we have to cover one hugely important topic: decarboxylation. Now, don’t worry; this isn’t going to be an in-depth science lesson (this is ice cream after all!), but just a couple of points to cover so you can get the most out of your weed ice cream.

Decarboxylation involves heating weed to the point at which cannabinoid acids turn into activated cannabinoids. At its simplest, decarboxylation ensures your edibles are psychoactive. If the plant matter isn’t "decarbed" first, it will not get you high. Decarboxylation happens automatically when smoking or vaping due to the associated flame or heating element, but decarbing edibles requires some preparation.

There are a couple ways to go about doing this. The first method uses a conventional oven.

1. Preheat your oven to 105–110°C. 

2. Grind up your weed into small pieces, but not a powder. Place it on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and place it all in the oven for 30–45 minutes.

3. Once your weed has turned a light golden brown, you should be good to go. Be sure to give it a stir a couple times as it’s decarbing to heat everything evenly.

4. Once it’s done, allow it to cool a bit so you can handle it, then you can go ahead and start infusing!

Another decarboxylation method is to place your cannabis in vacuum-sealed plastic bags and simply boil them in a pot or pressure cooker for about an hour. Then, you carefully remove the bag with the buds, and voilà—you now have decarboxylated weed, without any of the browning.

INSTRUCTIONS

OK, now that you’ve got everything together and ready, let’s get into it!

1. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

2. In a second saucepan, place your butter, sugar, and salt on medium heat and stir as they begin to melt.

3. Take your ground, decarboxylated weed and stir it into the saucepan with the butter, sugar, and salt, making sure to evenly distribute the weed.

4. Whisk the warm cream into the butter mixture.

5. Mash up the banana in a large bowl.

6. Once mashed into a paste, add the cream mixture, rum, honey, and any other ingredient you want into the bowl.

7. Mix everything together until the entire mixture has a paste-like consistency.

8. Place the mixture in the freezer for a few hours, until it begins to have a mushy consistency.

9. Take the bowl and pour the mixture into a suitable freezer container.

10. Whisk once again until the mixture is smooth.

11. Place a lid on the container and keep in the freezer until it is firm.

And that’s all there is to the creation of cannabis ice cream. Sound easy? That’s because it is! But if you’re stuck wondering which strain to infuse into your ice cream, have no fear! We’ve got a few suggestions up our sleeves. Read on to find out more.

BEST WEED ICE CREAM STRAINS

If you have a chosen strain in mind to use with your ice cream, that is absolutely fine! If, however, you are looking for suggestions to get the most flavour and the biggest buzz from your ice cream, keep these strains in mind!

CHOCO HAZE

There should be very little confusion as to why we picked this strain. Choco Haze is a sativa-dominant hybrid boasting a sweet taste that perfectly partners with any ice cream. Sultry, rich chocolate flavours are a flat-out classic in ice cream, and cannabis strains for that matter. Choco Haze provides a potent yet smooth and tranquil high that won’t give you a brain freeze! 

GELATO

Gelato is a super-sweet-smelling strain, but also has some incredibly dense, varied, and textured flavours. In a good way! Mouthwatering hints of lemon, mint, and vanilla will tease your taste buds. This is a strain that is clearly crying out to be added to edibles of some kind. Don’t delay and add some Gelato to your cannabis ice cream today!

STRAWBERRY BANANA

As the name suggests, you can expect a flavour powerhouse consisting of bananas and strawberries with a pure and pleasing aroma to match. Couple that with a soothing and long-lasting high, and we’re sure you’ll agree; you have a perfectly sweet accompaniment that can be added to any cannabis ice cream recipe! Strawberry Banana is simply begging to be included in sweet edibles.

STORING CANNABIS ICE CREAM

Now that you’ve prepared your delicious ice cream, you are going to want to take extra care in storing it. Obviously, as this is ice cream, the only option is to put it straight in the freezer. As a good rule to go by with any homemade edibles, write the date you made them on the container. As the ice cream contains dairy, it will eventually go bad or become very icy after enough time.

If you are in any doubt as to whether or not you should eat the ice cream, smelling it will give you the answer immediately. However, with proper care, you should be able to get at least 2–3 months out of your cannabis ice cream. But who are we kidding? It will be long gone before then. A tasty, unique edible that you can make time and time again like this certainly won’t hang around for long!

Adam Parsons

Professional cannabis journalist, copywriter, and author Adam Parsons is a long-time staff member of Zamnesia. Tasked with covering a wide range of topics from CBD to psychedelics and everything in between, Adam creates blog posts, guides, and explores an ever-growing range of products.

Read full bio