How To Infuse Cannabis Into Milk
Have you ever stared down a carton of cream and a bag of flower and thought, there has to be an easier way than firing up a whole infusion production? There is. Cannabis infused milk (and its richer cousin, infused cream) is one of the most underrated tools in the home edibles kitchen. How to make cannabis infused milk; fast, low-effort, and no leftover jars taking up freezer space for months.
This is the infusion that I reach for when a recipe calls for cream in a sauce, milk in a latte, or a splash of something infused in her morning oatmeal. Below is the full method, the math behind knowing what you actually made, and how to use it once it’s ready. This post is part of our Cannabis Infusions Complete Guide, so if you want the full picture of every infusion method we teach, that’s the place to start.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
*Decarb first. Raw cannabis won’t get you high, no matter how long you simmer it. THCA needs heat to convert into THC, a process called decarboxylation. Spread your ground flower on a baking sheet and bake it low and slow, usually around 220-240°F for 30-40 minutes, before it goes anywhere near your cream. Skip this step and you’ve made an expensive salad garnish, not an infusion.
*Fat is the whole game. Cannabinoids bind to fat, so the fat content of your milk determines how well your infusion actually works. Reach for heavy or whipping cream, sitting around 35% milk fat, for the strongest result. If you’re going non-dairy, coconut milk is your best friend for the same reason. Almond, hemp, oat, or soy milk can work, but only if the fat content is at least 4% per serving. Anything thinner than that and you’re steeping your flower in flavored water, wasting good cannabis for nothing.
Dose like an adult. This infusion will be as strong as the flower and the amount you use make it. Start low, especially with a new batch or a new strain, and keep anything infused clearly labeled and out of reach of kids and anyone who didn’t sign up for a surprise high.
Ingredients
- Heavy or whipping cream, homogenized milk (or full-fat coconut milk for a non-dairy version)
- Decarboxylated dried cannabis flower
- A double boiler (rig one up with a heatproof bowl over a simmering pot if you don’t own one)
- Fine mesh strainer
- Cheesecloth (optional, skip it if your strainer is fine enough on its own)
- Measuring cup or glass container for the finished infusion
Instructions
Step 1: Set up your double boiler. Fill the bottom pot with water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Not a boil. You’re coaxing cannabinoids into fat here, not blasting them.
Step 2: Combine and stir. Pour your cream or non-dairy milk into the top of the double boiler and add your decarbed flower. Stir to combine so everything is evenly distributed.
Step 3: Cook low and slow. Let it simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing scorches on the bottom. Your kitchen should start smelling distinctly like cannabis around now. That’s how you know it’s working.
Step 4: Cool before you strain. Pull it off the heat and let it cool enough to handle safely. Hot cream and cheesecloth do not mix well with bare hands.
Step 5: Strain it out. Line your fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth (or skip the cheesecloth if your strainer is fine enough on its own) and pour the mixture through into a measuring cup or glass container.
Step 6: Squeeze every last drop. Use the cheesecloth to squeeze the remaining plant material and get as much infused cream out as you can. This is where the real potency is hiding, don’t leave it behind.
Step 7: Compost the rest, label what’s left. Toss or compost the spent flower, then label and date your infusion. Future you will thank present you for not having to guess what’s in that mystery jar.
How Strong Is Your Infused Milk? (The Math, Simplified)
This is the question every home cook actually wants answered, and the honest version is: it depends on inputs you control. Three variables determine the strength of your finished batch.
- The THC percentage of your flower. Check the packaging or lab results if you have them.
- How well you decarbed it. Under-decarbed flower loses potency before it ever hits the cream.
- How much total liquid you infused it into. The same amount of cannabis spread across more milk means a weaker infusion per serving, and vice versa.
The general concept: total available THC from your flower gets distributed across your total volume of milk, which is why doubling your cream without doubling your flower cuts your potency roughly in half per serving. That’s useful for understanding what’s happening in the pot, but it’s not precise enough to build a real dose around, decarb efficiency alone can swing anywhere from 60 to 90 percent depending on your oven and timing.
Rather than eyeballing it, run your actual flower weight, THC percentage, and milk volume through our Dosage Calculator once your batch is strained. It’ll give you a real per-serving estimate instead of a guess, which matters a lot more with a liquid infusion than a solid one since it’s easy to pour “a little extra” without thinking about it.
How to Use Cannabis-Infused Milk
This is where infused milk earns its place in your rotation:
- Splash it into coffee, tea, or a hot chocolate for an easy edible with no baking involved
- Use the cream version in savory sauces, soups, or a pasta dish that needed a little more kick
- Fold it into custards, puddings, or homemade ice cream
- Swap it into any baked good that calls for milk or cream
- Use it as the liquid base in a smoothie for a low-key daytime dose
Dosing here comes down to knowing your infusion’s strength and your own tolerance. If this is your first batch with a given strain, start with a small amount in a low-stakes recipe, your morning coffee, not the dinner party trifle, before scaling up into something you’re serving to guests.
Storage and Shelf Life
Infused milk and cream are perishable in the same way regular dairy is. Use it right away or within 4 days, stored in the refrigerator. Freezing isn’t recommended here. The texture tends to separate and break on thawing, and the quality drop isn’t worth it for something you can make fresh in under an hour. Plan your recipe before you make the infusion, not after, so you’re not sitting on a jar you can’t use in time. If it smells off or looks separated beyond a normal shake-and-recombine, toss it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How strong will this be? That depends on your flower’s THC percentage, how well you decarbed it, and how much milk you infused it into. There’s no universal answer, which is why running your numbers through the Dosage Calculator after straining matters more than any rule of thumb.
Can I use different strains? Yes, and this is one of the more fun parts of the method. Because you’re not committing to a giant batch, infused milk is a low-risk way to experiment with how different strains show up in flavor and effect from one week to the next.
Does this work with non-dairy milk? It can, as long as the fat content holds up. Coconut milk is the strongest non-dairy option because of its fat content. Thinner milks like almond or oat need to be at least 4% fat per serving or you’ll end up with a weak, wasteful batch.
Why didn’t my batch turn out strong enough? Usually one of two things: the flower wasn’t fully decarbed, or the milk you used was too low in fat to hold onto the cannabinoids. Both are fixable next time. Double check your decarb time and temperature, and reach for cream or full-fat coconut milk if potency matters more than a lighter mouthfeel.
Can I make a bigger batch and freeze it for later? You can technically freeze it, but expect separation and a texture change on thawing, and the safety window for use once thawed is still short. If you need something with real freezer longevity, a fat-based infusion built for long-term storage is the better tool for that job. This method is built for “I need it this week.”
Can I skip the double boiler and use a slow cooker or Instant Pot? Yes. The double boiler is the most accessible setup for most kitchens, but a slow cooker on low or an Instant Pot on the yogurt or low sauté setting can hold the same gentle, low temperature. The goal either way is a steady simmer, never a rolling boil.
Does homemade infused milk taste different from what I’d get at a dispensary? Often, yes, and that’s not a flaw. Homemade infusions carry more of the plant’s natural flavor since there’s no processing to mask it. A well-decarbed, well-strained batch shouldn’t taste harsh or overly “weedy.” If yours does, it usually means the flower wasn’t strained thoroughly enough, or the decarb ran a little hot and picked up a burnt edge. Also if you find an infused milk at a dispensary, let me know!
Conclusion
Cannabis infused milk and cream are proof that not every edible needs a whole production. Decarb your flower, simmer it low and slow in good fat, strain it well, and run your numbers through the Dosage Calculator before you serve it to anyone, including yourself. Try a batch this week, and let us know what you made with it. Your kitchen is the best dispensary you’ll ever have.
Citations:
Decarboxylation temperature/time claim:Thermo-chemical conversion kinetics of cannabinoid acids in hemp, Journal of Cannabis Research (Springer Nature, open access). This is a legitimate peer-reviewed journal specifically studying THCA-to-THC conversion kinetics across temperature ranges, and it’s free to read, so a reader who clicks through actually gets something instead of a paywall.
Fat-solubility claim:Mechanisms of Action and Pharmacokinetics of Cannabis, hosted on PubMed Central (NCBI, part of the National Institutes of Health). It states plainly that THC is highly lipid soluble and rapidly taken up by fat tissue, which is exactly the mechanism your “why fat content matters” claim rests on. PMC-hosted links carry real domain authority because they sit on a .nih.gov-adjacent government archive, not a content farm.