Your pantry staples are the pillars of your kitchen. Beyond salt, pepper and oil, you may have a few tried-and-true spices you always rely on. For some, that’s garlic salt; for others, it’s spicy chili flakes. These spices can be added to almost any dish to infuse it with your favorite flavors and nourishing wellness benefits.
And now, you may want to make room in your pantry for the benefits of CBD oil. No matter the cuisine, CBD can infuse dishes with a ton of nourishing benefits.
The best part? Anyone can learn to cook with CBD.
This guide will cover the six cardinal rules of cooking with CBD oil and provide some cooking tips and techniques as well as a few simple CBD oil recipes to help incorporate CBD into your meals.
Here’s how to cook with CBD oil:
#1 Infuse CBD Into a Fat
Every chef, no matter their experience, must be part artist, part chemist. And when it comes to cooking with CBD, a little knowledge of its chemical properties can go a long way.
CBD stands for cannabidiol, a kind of cannabinoid. A cannabinoid is a chemical compound found in hemp plants. This particular compound is fat-soluble, meaning it binds well with fats or fat-containing foods. When CBD binds with fat, it’s much easier for the body to absorb.
When starting out as a CBD chef, infuse CBD oil with the fat ingredients of your recipes. That includes:
- butter
- ghee
- coconut oil
- olive oil
- cream
Mix CBD with the fat or oil in your recipe to bring a boost of wellness benefits to your meal. And there you have it: A CBD cocktail to use in your next dinner recipe.
CBD chef tip: Pay attention to your CBD’s carrier oil as you’re experimenting with fat infusions. Most oils are already bound to a fat like coconut oil, which can alter the flavor of the dish. While the flavor effect is usually minimal, be sure to taste as you go.
#2 Be Mindful of Heat and CBD
High-heat cooking is great for searing a steak, but CBD requires a cooler touch.
Excessive temperatures can cause CBD oil to lose its terpenes. Terpenes are chemical compounds that work with CBD to positively impact your mental and physical wellness. When the terpenes are overheated, the compounds break down and the CBD becomes ineffective.
And if that doesn’t convince you to be careful not to overheat your CBD, chefs have noted that cooking CBD on excessively high heat can tarnish the flavor of a dish. Experts recommend that you stay below 320°F to maintain the integrity of the CBD oil’s compounds.
But just because CBD can’t take the heat, doesn’tmean it should stay out of the kitchen. You can incorporate CBD into many dishes, so long as you’re culinarily strategic. Cooking with CBD oil provides many opportunities to experiment with a new ingredient.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Add to dessert toppings. Baking CBD into a cake batter or other baked goods can break down its beneficial properties. Instead, work CBD-oil into a homemade buttercream, whipped cream or mousse icing to top off a cake.
- Drizzle on dishes. An artful drizzle of CBD-infused oil can give many dishes aesthetic flare and impart healthful benefits to each bite.
- Elevate your staple sauces. Easily mix CBD oil with some of your go-to sauces, including pesto, tomato sauce or coconut-based curries.
- Experiment with raw “baking.” CBD and raw baked goods perfectly complement each other. Because raw baking famously doesn’tuse heat in dessert creation, CBD oil can be seamlessly incorporated into raw recipes.
CBD chef tip: You can make your own infused olive oil with CBD and other ingredients like rosemary, chili flakes or garlic. A simple drizzle can add delicious flavor anda dose of CBD to any savory dish, including eggs, pasta, pizza and soups.
#3 Sweet or Savory
CBD cookies, CBD gummies, CBD gum — have you ever wondered why so many CBD food products are on the sweeter side of the flavor palate? That’s because sugar helps cover up the bitterness of a less-refined CBD oil.
If you want to incorporate CBD into more savory dishes, look for refined CBD oils to minimize the bitter flavor profile.
CBD chef tip: Cooks have described the taste of CBD oil as herbaceous with a slight musk. You can work with this flavor in herb-forward dishes like pesto pasta or green smoothies. If you want to work with a more “all-purpose” CBD, look for a refined CBD oil. The more refined the CBD oil, the less CBD “flavor.”
#4 Start with Familiar Recipes
As you start experimenting with CBD oil recipes, don’t immediately try incorporating the oil into a new and complex dish. As with any new ingredient, take time to familiarize yourself with its properties using tried-and-true recipes and expanding from there.
Basic recipes to start your CBD culinary education can include the following:
- coffee– A cup of CBD-infused coffee requires just one extra ingredient — cream. The fat of the cream binds to the CBD oil and helps your body absorb its healthful benefits. Add sugar as desired.
- avocado toast– CBD oil can easily blend with the natural fats of avocado. Add a drizzle of high-quality olive oil, salt, pepper or lemon juice to complete the dish.
- smoothies– The herb-forward flavor of CBD goes well with your favorite green smoothie recipe. Be sure to add a fat source like almond milk to help bind the CBD to the mixture.
#5 Measure Wisely
Most CBD products will recommend around 5 to 25 milligrams of CBD oil per serving. But everyone’s body is a little different, so CBD’s effect may vary from person to person. Be sure to check the product label before cooking with CBD. As a rule of thumb, start with a low dose, and then slowly increase over time and experimentation.
CBD chef’s tip: You can substitute CBD oil for other cooking oils in any recipe (so long as it doesn’t require high heat). Just exchange 1 teaspoon of cooking oil for ¾ to 1 teaspoon of CBD oil.
#6 Choose a High-Quality CBD
Every chef knows the power of an ingredient at its prime: tomatoes picked at their peak ripeness in summer; a freshly caught fish; herbs straight from the garden. This same principle applies to CBD.
However, the Food and Drug Administration does not monitor nor quality-control CBD products as diligently as it does food products. In fact, a 2017 study found that almost 70% of CBD products were mislabeled, with some even containing zeroCBD.
As you’re selecting your new go-to pantry staple, a few characteristics can help you identify high-quality CBD, including:
- High-quality carrier oil – CBD manufacturers bind CBD extract to carrier oils to aid absorption. And the higher quality the carrier oil, the more effective the CBD. Look for coconut MCT oil for maximum CBD benefits.
- Tested for quality – Because the FDA doesn’t administer its own testing of CBD products, it’s up to CBD companies to test themselves. Look for the following:
- Third-party laboratory testing – Some companies send their products to third-party laboratories to verify the product label is true to its content.
- Label Accuracy Guarantee™ – Third-party lab testing can certainly be assuring, but companies don’t always check to see if the lab’s results are accurate. Products with a Label Accuracy Guarantee™ have undergone twolevels of testing—one round of label and ingredient testing at a third party lab, and then those lab results are double-checked at a secondthird-party laboratory. The Label Accuracy Guarantee™ is the most thorough testing standard in the CBD industry and can help you determine the highest quality CBD for your culinary arts and health.
Cooking with CBD: Starter Recipes
Now that you have the basics down, you can start supplementing your healthy meals by cooking with CBD oil.
Here are a few recipes to launch your new culinary expertise:
CBD-Infused Garlic Olive Oil
Drizzle over eggs, pasta, soups, and sauces for a soothing dose of CBD
Ingredients:
3-6 garlic cloves
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2-4 tsp. CBD oil (1 tsp. = approx 5 ml of oil)
- Add olive oil and garlic cloves to a small saucepan.
- Heat on low and stir occasionally for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the garlic cloves are a light golden brown. Then remove from heat.
- Smash the garlic cloves lightly with the back of a spoon to help release more rich garlic flavor. Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir in CBD oil. Allow to cool for another 25 minutes.
- Using a fine-mesh strainer or sieve, strain the mixture to separate the garlic particles from the oil.
- Funnel the mixture into an airtight bottle or dispenser. Store for up to one month.
Peanut Butter and CBD Energy Bites
Perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack on the go, these protein-packed morsels can give a CBD boost to your day.
Ingredients:
½ cup smooth peanut butter (Sunflower, chickpea, cashew and sunflower butters also work.)
3 tbsp. agave or honey
1-3 tsp. CBD oil (1 tsp. = approx 5 ml of oil)
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. cardamom
⅓ cup chia seeds
- Stir together preferred nut butter with honey or agave, CBD and spices until thoroughly incorporated. Cover and place in the fridge, allowing to chill for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, add chia seeds. Remove the CBD oil and nut butter mixture from the fridge. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the mixture, roll into a ball and roll in the chia seed mixture.
- Store in an airtight container. Use within five days.
Soothing CBD Chai Latte
CBD binds to the fats of your favorite latté milk to create a frothy, spiced morning drink.
Ingredients:
1 tsp. loose leaf Indian chai tea
1½ cups boiling water
¼ cup milk – oat, dairy almond or coconut
1 ml of CBD oil (Generally 1 ml = 1 full dropper)
½ tbsp honey, agave or other liquid sweetener
- In a pot or electric kettle, boil water for the tea. Typically, black teas require water temperatures between 200° and 212° F. Check the label on your favorite tea to be sure.
- Place loose leaf tea in a mesh infuser or individual tea filter and place inside a large mug.
- Pour boiling water into the mug and let steep for 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the tea variety and how strong you prefer your tea flavor. Remove the infuser at desired tea strength and cover the mug with a saucer to keep warm.
- Heat milk in a saucepan on medium-low until edges of the milk begin to bubble. Immediately remove milk from heat.
- Whisk CBD and sweetener into the milk until slightly frothy. Pour milk into the mug and serve warm.
Zebra CBD: The Secret Ingredient to Healthful CBD
The secret ingredient to cooking with a CBD product? A trustworthy CBD source.
Zebra CBD is committed to providing high-quality CBD products for your health and wellness needs. Our products are made from organic hemp, free of heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides. Zebra CBD is the only CBD company with a Label Accuracy Guarantee™, ensuring premium CBD for every recipe.
Visit our website so you can start cooking with Zebra CBD.
Sources:
U.S. News. How to Cook with CBD. https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/how-to-cook-with-cbd
Real Simple. Curious About Cooking with CBD Oil? Read These 4 Tips First. https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/popular-ingredients/cooking-with-cbd-oil
Epicurious. I Tried Cooking with CBD Oil for 7 Days and Here’s What Happened. https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/i-tried-cooking-with-cbd-oil-for-a-week-article
