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The Best Edible Recipes for Summer

By Danyal Swan May 31, 2023
Best Edibles Recipes for Summer

Summertime is finally here, and what better way to celebrate all that comes with the season—sunshine, cookouts, beach days—than with some delicious cannabis-infused summer staples? If you’re looking to take your BBQ up a notch this summer, we’ve got plenty of creative summer edible recipes full of flavor, and a dose of THC, of course.

And don't forget, whether you're cooking in a recreational state for others or in a medical state for yourself: always clearly label your homemade edibles as containing cannabis!

A Tip for Making the Best Edibles

When making edibles, it may seem like it's as simple as tossing cannabis into a staple recipe. While this is possible for some recipes with the use of tinctures, many of the best edibles recipes will call for an infused carrier oil. Infusing an oil like olive oil, coconut oil, or even butter, is a key first step. Cannabinoids are fat-soluble compounds, meaning they bind to fats and oils more readily than to water. By infusing cannabis into oil or butter, you create a medium that maximizes the absorption of cannabinoids, and relatively evenly disperses them throughout the oil, and therefore the finished product. This makes them more bioavailable for the body to absorb when consuming the infused oil or butter in your edibles.

For more infusion details, including a detailed step-by-step breakdown of the process, take a look at our post: Cooking With Cannabis: Cannabutter and Edibles for Beginners. If you're ready to get cooking, let's dig into the recipes!

Cannabis-Infused Watermelon Salad

Cannabis-Infused Watermelon Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutesYield 8 bowls
Watermelon is a classic summertime fruit that is both delicious and refreshing. To add a new twist, try slicing and serving up a watermelon salad infused with cannabis oil or tincture. Lime juice, balsamic, and mint flavors blend well with the watermelon, making for an unforgettable and unforgettable experience. With 20 mg total and 8 servings, this microdose of 2.5 mg is a marijuana-infused delight. We recommend Avexia THCA Tincture in blackberry mint for an added layer of fruit and mint. Ingredients:
  • 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 20 mg THC tincture (ml depends on tincture strength)
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 6 c seedless watermelon, cubed
  • 2 c cucumber, chopped
  • 2 c feta
  • 1/2 c red onion, sliced
  • 1 c mint, coarsely chopped

  1. Prepare vegetables, fruits, and herbs by cubing, chopping, and slicing
  2. Combine THC Tincture, olive oil, and red wine vinegar
  3. Toss all ingredients (except feta, if you have any vegan guests!) together thoroughly to ensure an even distribution of your liquid mixture
  4. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour, then enjoy!

Candied Kief Bacon

Best Edible Recipes | Candied Kief Bacon

Prep Time: 30 minYield 12 strips
While candied bacon could be an appetizer, dessert, and even layered on your burger fresh off the grill, one thing we don't recommend is grilling it. Trust us—you want the crispy-crunch achieved only in an oven! Bonus tip: in addition to burgers, candied bacon makes for a delicious salad topping.
  • 1 pack thick-cut bacon
  • Your desired dose of decarbed kief (find decarbing tips here)
  • 1/4 c and 1 tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • A dash of salt and pepper

  1. In a small bowl, mix the 1/4 c brown sugar and maple syrup together; in a separate small bowl, combine 1 tbsp brown sugar, and a dash of salt and pepper
  2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place a cooling rack on top
  3. Lay bacon evenly along the sheet, then brush with brown sugar and maple syrup mixture
  4. Sprinkle your desired dose of kief onto each piece of bacon; follow with a sprinkle of the brown sugar, salt and pepper mixture
  5. Bake your bacon at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the bacon get brown and crispy
  6. Enjoy!

Dank Chicago Dogs

Best Edible Recipes | Chicago Dank Dog

Prep Time: 15 minYield 4 fully assembled dank dogs
You've never had a hot dog until you've had a Chicago dog, or a hot dog dragged through the garden—speaking from experience, here! Piled high with toppings you wouldn't expect (but will savor with each bite), the added touch of cannabis elevates this classic Chicago dog to a Chicago dank dog. Bonus tip: stack the ingredients for your dog on the bottom, then use the hot dog to hold them into place!
  • 4 all-beef hot dogs
  • 4 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 4 tbsp green pickle relish
  • 4 tbsp chopped onion
  • 8 tomato wedges
  • 4 dill pickle
  • 8 sport peppers
  • A dash of celery salt per Chicago dog
  • Hot dog buns, with poppyseed
  • 4 tbsp cannabutter

  1. Grill all-beef hot dogs to your liking
  2. While the dogs are grilling, brush the inside of each bun with 1 tbsp cannabutter (or preferred dose) and toast
  3. After the hot dogs have finished grilling and the buns toasting, put your Chicago dog together, piling toppings in the measurements suggested or to taste
  4. Enjoy!

S'toner S'mores

Best Edible Recipes | Infused S'mores

Prep Time: 5-10 minYield 1 s'more
Our favorite, and the easiest recipe, is a summer campfire staple - s'mores. These s'toner s'mores leverage Encore Edibles, so no infusing is required. Choose from milk or dark chocolate, and Bonus tip: crumble the graham crackers and chocolates atop of ice cream and add a healthy dollop of marshmallow whip for a cannabis s'mores sundae!
  • 2 graham crackers
  • 1 large marshmallow

  • Unwrap your Encore Edible chocolate and place it between the graham crackers
  • Toast your marshmallow to your desired texture
  • Pinch the marshmallow between the chocolate-graham cracker sandwich and enjoy!

Pot-sicles

Best Edible Recipes | Cherry Lime Pot-sicle

Prep Time: 5 hours, 15 minYield 10 popsicles
When summer is in full force, there is no better way to cool down than a popsicle - except, perhaps, a pot-sicle. I'm personally a sucker (get it?) for cherry-lime flavors—the only way to level it up? Add some cannabis tincture. Bonus tip: one of my favorite summer gimmicks is the slushie cup; use it to make your own cannabis cherry lime slushie!
  • 3 c sweet cherries (fresh is preferred, but frozen works, too!)
  • 2 tbsp lime juice (fresh is preferred, but bottle works, too!)
  • 1/2 c coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp Maraschino cherry syrup
  • Desired dose of cannabis tincture (be sure to calculate the total mg, adding each dose per pot popsicle)

  • Combine all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth
  • Pour fruit mixture into popsicle molds
  • Freeze for 5-6 hours, then enjoy!

Become a Homemade Edibles Expert

Our roundup of the best edible recipes for summer is just the start of our online cannabis cookbook. Make sure to bookmark these for your next edible adventure:

And don't forget to visit your local Zen Leaf Dispensary for all your infusing needs!

Digital Content Manager for MÜV Florida and Zen Leaf Dispensaries. A cannabis connoisseur with a passion for explaining the miraculous possibility of the plant, Swan began her journey with cannabis as a recreational user and quickly realized its positive impact on her depression and severe anxiety. She joined the cannabis industry as Receptionist and MedTender and witnessed first-hand the immense potential of the plant for a wide variety of ailments, deepening her passion for alternative medicine. Swan is dedicated to self-education on the plant and sharing its potential with all. She holds a Journalism degree from the University of Iowa.

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