Anyone who has recently investigated the best ways to shed a few pounds has probably heard of the ketogenic diet. This diet appeals to many because it's quite different than your average weight-loss plan. Where most diets urge you to cut out fat, the keto diet practically revolves around the stuff. The standard keto diet consists of 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and five percent carbs. Sticking to this rigid structure puts your body into a metabolic state called "ketosis", which means your body starts burning fat instead of carbs. Luckily for those who consume cannabis, all that fat makes a great basis for delicious marijuana edibles. Read on to learn a little more about how weed fits into this unique diet, and get three keto-friendly cannabis recipes to try for yourself.
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The Cannabis-Keto Connection
Marijuana and the keto diet are a match made in heaven, thanks to one crucial fact: The main compounds in cannabis are fat-soluble. This means THC (the part you need to get high) binds to fat molecules. The process of cannabis infusion uses heat to encourage cannabinoid compounds to move from the plant matter or concentrate to a carrier or vehicle substance, and this only works if there is enough fat in the receiving substance to hang onto the THC and other goodies.
If you're on a low-fat diet, adding cannabis-infused edibles to your repertoire is quite difficult. Olive oil, the first choice of many dieters, has enough saturated fat content to use as an infusion medium, but it contains only about 15 percent saturated fat. Coconut oil, on the other hand, is 90 percent saturated fat – allowing it to absorb a much higher amount of cannabinoids than olive oil.
If you're on the keto diet, you're free to pack in mass amounts of butter and coconut oil, which means you've got multiple delicious options for keto-friendly cannabis recipes. Here are three recipes in which you can put your cannabutter and infused coconut oil to delicious use.
Savory Mediterranean Fat Bombs
If you're unfamiliar with the keto diet, "fat bomb" is probably a perplexing and somewhat grotesque term. Fat bombs are bite-sized snacks meant to deliver a concentrated kick of the fat your body uses for fuel during ketosis. The tricky part is finding a fat bomb recipe which doesn't taste like you're eating half a stick of butter, and this one of the rare keto-friendly cannabis recipes that delivers.
Ingredients:
½ cup full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup cannabutter, room temperature
1 tbsp each: fresh chopped basil, thyme, and oregano
4 sun-dried tomato strips, chopped
4 pitted olives, Kalamata or other, diced
2 cloves crushed garlic, minced or crushed
5 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Cut butter into small cubes and use a fork to combine with the cream cheese in a bowl.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes, olives, herbs, and garlic to the bowl, and mix well.
- Taste the mixture, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Once delicious, place the mixture back into the fridge to firm up, 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the fridge, divide it into five pieces and rolling each section into a ball.
- Spread your grated parmesan in a shallow dish or plate, and roll each ball in it until amply covered.
- These cannabis-infused fat bombs are good to eat right away, and you can keep the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Thanks to the cream cheese, these edibles don't taste like you're just eating a ball of butter. The flavor of marijuana butter meshes well with the Mediterranean herbs, making for a decadent, naturally-flavored experience.
Cannabanana Bread
As keto-friendly cannabis recipes go, this one will become a staple in your pantry. After all, our greatest cravings for bread crop up when we can't have it! This cannabis-infused banana bread has just a few simple ingredients, and is easy enough for even the stoned to prepare successfully.
Ingredients:
3 medium-sized bananas
2 cups almond flour
3 large or extra large eggs
½ cup walnuts or pecans (optional)
¼ cup plain olive oil
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp infused coconut oil
1 tbsp plain coconut oil
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Use the plain coconut oil to grease a loaf pan.
- Roughly chop bananas, and add all remaining ingredients into stand mixer bowl. Slowly increase the blade speed to high, and mix until everything is smoothly combined.
- Pour the resulting batter into your greased loaf pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes. To check if the loaf is done cooking, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. When it comes out clean, your cannabanana bread is ready.
This is one of the keto-friendly cannabis recipes you'll want to keep on hand when carb cravings strike. Since the munchies often trigger a desire for all things bready, you might even want to double this recipe to be safe in case of intense cravings.
Curry Coconut Shrimp Soup
It can be difficult to find a comfort food that works for you on the keto diet. This shrimp soup featuring curry and coconut is one of the few keto-friendly cannabis recipes you can always count on to produce a rich, filling result. But, be aware: The sweetness of coconut means more than one serving of this will tip your carb scales for the day. And trust me, you'll want more than one.
The other thing to note with this recipe is you will need to make a fresh batch of infused coconut milk. Coconut milk is quite fatty as milks go, and rests about on par with olive oil as far as quality of infusion. But since you're not going to drink a bowl full of olive oil, the infused coconut milk's quantity more than makes up for the lower THC absorption. Simply use your favorite infused olive oil recipe to give your coconut milk a cannabinoid kick.
Ingredients:
2 cups chicken broth
1 can (14 oz) infused full-fat coconut milk
1 tbsp canola or peanut oil
2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
2 tbsp fresh minced ginger or ginger paste
1 fresh lemongrass stalk
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce (preferably Thai)
1 tbsp green or yellow Thai curry paste
1 lb large, peeled, deveined shrimp
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Thai basil
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Note: Using fresh basil and cilantro is crucial to the final flavor. The dry stuff doesn't come anywhere close!
Instructions:
- Spread canola or peanut oil around the bottom of your soup pot. Add garlic and ginger to the pot, and saute over medium-low heat until the garlic and ginger begin to soften and release strong aromas.
- Crush the lemongrass stalk to release the oils. A mallet is most effective, but a few smacks of a hammer or the handle of a small pot/pan will suffice.
- Add the lemongrass to the pot, and immediately pour in chicken broth, infused coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, chili paste, and mushrooms to the pot. Bring to a boil.
- Once the pot reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer for five to seven minutes, or until the mushrooms become tender. Optional: Simmering longer, up to about 20 minutes, can allow more complex flavors to develop, although the extra time is not necessary.
- When mushrooms are softened, add shrimp and simmer about five more minutes or until the shrimp is cooked through.
- Stir in chopped basil and cilantro, remove from heat, and serve.
This is one of few keto-friendly cannabis recipes that feels like a full meal, has a rich flavor profile, and is fancy enough to serve your guests.
Quick Tips
Any keto recipe featuring butter or coconut oil is simple to turn into an infused dish, by swapping out the regular fat for the good (infused) stuff. Sauces and desserts are great candidates for infusion, since they generally require a lot of butter. Coconut oil is best suited to desserts, as it can impart an odd flavor to savory foods.
A marijuana cookbook can give you a host of applicable tips, even if it's not jam-packed full of keto-friendly cannabis recipes. They can also help you determine what marijuana strain is the best to use based on your desired effects.
Don't forget you can make edibles using cannabis concentrates. It's significantly easier than traditional dry-herb infusion and allows for super potent results. Check out our guide to BHO edibles right here, and let us know on social any other tips you have for keto-friendly cannabis recipes.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is for reference purposes only. Leafbuyer is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you try from the Website, or any website linked to from this site. You may not achieve desired results due to variations in elements such as ingredients, cooking temperatures, typos, errors, omissions, ingredient quality/potency, or individual cooking ability. Recipes available on the Website may not have been formally tested by us or for us and we do not provide any assurances nor accept any responsibility or liability with regard to their originality, quality, nutritional value, or safety. The cannabis amounts specified in this recipe are a loose suggestion. You should adjust the amount based on desired potency and the strength of your cannabis.
