Many people have fallen so “head over heels” for hemp that they want to add CBD oil to every aspect of their lives. Besides eating CBD edibles and taking a CBD tincture, some “hemp superfans” have begun adding a pinch of CBD oil to their meal plan. There are countless blogs with CBD recipes for everything from cookies to hot cocoa. 

While it’s possible to cook and bake with CBD, there are a few considerations at-home chefs must keep in mind. If you don’t follow the advice below, the CBD you add to your food might have zero benefits. 

What’s The Best Way To Add CBD To DIY Recipes? — A Few Strategies To Chew On

The two top tips to keep in mind when cooking with CBD include the following:

  • Avoid high heat.
  • Pair CBD with fatty foods. 

While these rules aren’t “set in stone,” they will increase the likelihood your CBD will have the max benefit. 

Even though CBD has a relatively strong boiling point, it can’t withstand the high-intensity heat of a stir fry meal. Indeed, many people who cook with CBD oil don’t recommend putting it in recipes where you have to cook in a screaming hot pan. Some even go so far as to claim CBD will be ineffective if you subject it to temps above 120° F. 

As for the “fatty foods” advice, please remember that CBD is a fat-soluble compound. Although some scientists are working on fancy water-soluble CBD products, chances are the CBD product you’re using will cling to foods with a high-fat content. Indeed, this is why so many CBD manufacturers use fatty substances like MCT oil to help stabilize the CBD extracts. 

There are preliminary trials that suggest CBD oil paired with high-fat meals has a greater chance of penetrating the blood-brain barrier. Interestingly, University of Minnesota researchers found that people who ate breakfast burritos with their CBD had higher absorption rates than those who took CBD oil on an empty stomach. 

So, if you want to get the most out of mixing CBD into your meal plan, it’s best to infuse this cannabinoid into ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, butter, or ghee. You could pair CBD oil with a high-fat food item like burritos, guacamole, or salmon. 

So, Will Cooking Always Reduce CBD Oil’s Effectiveness? 

As stated above, throwing your precious CBD oil into a hot pan is not the best idea. Even if you’ve infused your CBD into a cooking oil with a high smoke point (e.g., vegetable oil), that won’t reduce the odds your CBD will evaporate during the cooking process. 

Chances are, if you start cooking with CBD oil, this cannabinoid’s benefits will significantly diminish due to the intensity of the heat. Unless someone develops a revolutionary heat-resistant CBD cooking oil, it’s best to add your CBD oil to a meal after you’ve cooked it. 

Tribe CBD Oil For Your Kitchen

If you’re thinking about adding CBD oil to your meals, please be sure you choose a product with high-quality third-party lab results. When you add CBD oil to your meals, you want to be sure you’re getting pure CBD without nasty fillers, heavy metals, or pesticides. Only a Certificate of Analysis (COA) can prove you’re getting exceptional-grade CBD oil. That’s why our COA and lab test results are easy to find on our website at TribeCBD.com!