The Basics of Cooking with CBD, Plus Three Recipes!

We’ve written before about the many benefits of CBD and how to incorporate it into your wellness routine. We carry a wide range of high-quality CBD products in various forms or blended with herbs for help treating discomfort, anxiety, and sleep issues. CBD can be consumed and/or used topically to treat various ailments. Think topicals for muscular tension, arthritis or skin issues and tinctures for whole-body balance. Did you know you can also bake and cook with CBD? Stress relief has never tasted this good! Speaking of, the flavor of hemp (the plant from which CBD is derived) is fairly earthy and sometimes can be detected in food when using an unflavored CBD. In some cases, such as with chocolate, many find the flavor profile of CBD complementary to the overall taste. Using a flavored CBD like peppermint, orange lemon, mocha or cinnamon can make cooking with CBD quite tasty!

How you cook with CBD depends on what and how you’re cooking, but it’s generally simple. To preserve the effects of CBD, it needs to be extracted into a fat. You can have fun with it and infuse it into a butter or oil by making your own extraction or an isolate. We suggest going a simpler route and buying one of the full-spectrum CBD tinctures with an oil base that we have in store. You can simply drop this into your recipe of choice. As with any recipe addition, make sure to measure out how much you’re using! Every recipe is different, and how much you use depends on the strength of CBD you’d like to achieve. A gentle reminder that CBD is not psychoactive, and cooking with CBD will not make you “stoned.”* In fact, it’s even being used now by many veterinarians to treat animals so you could make some chill-out dog treats too! 

Below are a few simple CBD recipes to try, as well as a tonic! From the CBD to the raw goods, we carry the ingredients you need to bring these to life. Some of our favorite earthy, unflavored brands are Ananda and Danodan; if you prefer peppermint try Plus CBD or Barleans. Plus CBD also carries a tasty mocha flavor. Charlotte’s Web brand makes flavors of olive oil, chocolate mint, lemon or orange, and Sunsoil carries a yummy cinnamon variety. If you prefer a CBD/herbal blend try Sun God Garden of Life blends. 

Read below for some tasty food and drink recipes. If you’re feeling extra inspired, you can also check your favorite CBD brand’s website to see if they offer any recipe suggestions.

Recipes for Cooking with CBD

 CBD Oil Salad Dressing

This strawberry vinaigrette is a great way to get your CBD and eat a healthy, fruit and veggie-full meal. Pair this dressing with leafy greens, goat cheese, and whatever else you like in your salads. This recipe is via Living Freely Gluten Free.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup strawberries (frozen works when out of season) 
  • 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 dropper unflavored Plus+CBD oil (or your fave brand)

Instructions

In a blender, add all of the ingredients and puree until you have a smooth salad dressing. 

Creates approximately 4 salads worth of dressing. 

CBD Brownies with Cashew Butter

Enjoy a decadent CBD treat with this brownie recipe. They’re made with cashew butter, which adds to the chewiness and helps you get your protein fix. Did we mention they’re gluten-free?!? This not-too-good-to-be-true recipe is courtesy of So Fresh n So Green. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cashew butter
  • 2 pastured organic eggs
  • 1 ½ – 2 cups dark chocolate chips 
  • 1 cup coconut nectar or pure maple syrup
  • ½ cup cacao powder
  • 4 dates, pitted
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp. unflavored CBD Oil  (or use peppermint or mocha CBD)
  • 1 tsp. Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. In a large bowl, beat the maple syrup and dates with a blender or mixer until creamy
  3. Blend in cashew butter, then slowly add eggs and vanilla extract
  4. Add cacao, CBD oil, baking soda and ½ of the tsp of sea salt (save the other ½ to sprinkle on top). Mix until well incorporated
  5. Add in dark chocolate chips by hand (use 2 cups if you like it EXTRA fudgy) and save some to sprinkle on top
  6. Pour batter into 8×8 parchment-lined pan and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes
  7. When finished let cool and sprinkle with additional sea salt
  8. Try not to eat the entire pan in one sitting

CBD Oil “Golden” Milk with Turmeric

This one is a helpful double whammy for inflammation. Thanks to the active ingredient curcumin, turmeric is one of our favorites for soothing many ills. This recipe, via Real Nutritious Living, is paleo, vegan, and gluten-free.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of almond or coconut milk
  • 1 tsp. of coconut oil 
  • 1 tsp. of organic turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp. of Ceylon cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. of maple syrup or raw honey (see notes)
  • 1-inch strip fresh ginger or ¼ teaspoon of ginger powder
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Pinch each of finely ground black pepper, nutmeg, and clove
  • Unflavored CBD Oil of your desired strength 

Serves 2

Instructions

  1. Add milk, vanilla, and spices to a small saucepan over low heat and cook 10 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat, pour into mugs, add the desired amount of CBD oil and stir well.
  3. Enjoy!

Notes:

Stevia works well in this recipe in place of maple or honey. I recommend 1-2 drops.

Other CBD beverages for the holidays

Looking for some festive adult drinks that incorporate CBD?  Check out Danodan’s drink recipe video by clicking here, or for a minty mocktail try Barleans Skinny CBD Mojito Mocktail recipe.

Cooking with CBD is fun, easy, and a great way to improve your wellness routine. Have you baked with CBD before? We’d love to hear your recipe tips so sound off in the comments!

*As always, you may want to check with your doctor to see if CBD has any contraindications with your current medications and overall health.