Oil Tinctures

How to Make a Cannabis Oil Tincture: DIY CBD, CBG & THC Tinctures in MCT Oil

By Mellow Moose | Updated 08/24/2026

Quick Answer

A DIY cannabis tincture is cannabinoid isolate dissolved in MCT oil with optional flavoring. Using 10g of CBD or CBG isolate in 140mL of MCT oil, you'll fill five 30mL dropper bottles at ~65mg per mL (~1,940mg per bottle) in about 40 minutes. Your flavor, your sweetness, your strength — dosed to the milligram because you started from ≥97% pure isolate.

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Why Make Your Own Tincture?

Cost and customization. A 20g jar of CBD isolate makes ten 30mL bottles of ~1,940mg tincture — call it $7–8 per bottle including oil. You also control everything the bottle contains: the cannabinoid (CBD, CBG, THC, or a custom blend), the exact strength, the flavor, the sweetness. Our finished tinctures exist for people who want it done right out of the box — this recipe is for the people who enjoy the bench work, and it's the same principle we use: isolate + organic MCT, nothing else required.

Recipe Overview

• Yield: 5 × 30mL bottles
• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Warm time: 30 minutes
• Difficulty: Beginner

Equipment

• Mason jar with lid
• Measuring cup
• Dropper bottles (5 × 30mL, amber glass preferred)
• Small funnel
• Pot (for a warm water bath)
• Kitchen scale that reads to 0.1g

Ingredients

• 10g CBD Isolate or 10g CBG Isolate — or, for the THC version, 5g of a THC source: THCa isolate (decarbed first), THC distillate, or another dabbable extract (see the THC section below)
• 140mL MCT oil
• Optional: ½ tsp organic sugar or stevia
• Optional: oil-soluble flavoring (chocolate mint, berry, vanilla — must be oil-soluble; water-based flavorings won't mix)

Instructions

1. Place the isolate (or already-active THC source) in a clean, dry mason jar.
2. Pour in 140mL of MCT oil.
3. Optional: add sweetener and/or oil-soluble flavoring.
4. Seal the jar and shake well for 30 seconds.
5. Place the sealed jar into a pot of room-temperature water.
6. Heat gently on low for ~20 minutes — warm, never boiling. The gentle heat dissolves the isolate fully into the oil.
7. Remove, cool, and shake again for 30 seconds. The finished tincture should be completely clear with no crystals at the bottom.
8. Optional: strain through cheesecloth if any solids remain (rare with isolate).
9. Fill five 30mL dropper bottles using the funnel. Label each with the cannabinoid and mg/mL.

Dosage Math

CBD or CBG version: 10g isolate at ≥97% purity ≈ 9,700mg, in a finished volume of ~150mL (the dissolved isolate adds ~10mL):

• ~65mg per mL
• ~1,940mg per 30mL bottle
• A full 1mL dropper ≈ 65mg; half a dropper ≈ 32mg

THC version: 5g of decarbed THCa isolate or ~85% distillate ≈ 4,250mg in ~145mL:

• ~29mg THC per mL — start with 0.1–0.2mL (~3–6mg), not a full dropper

Want a specific strength — say, matching CALM's 100mg/mL, or something gentler? The ratio is linear: grams × 970 ÷ final mL = your strength. Our Edible Dosage Calculator can sanity-check any batch, and the dosage calculator gives you a personal starting range by weight or experience level.

Onset: held under the tongue for 60–90 seconds, tinctures typically onset in 15–45 minutes — faster than edibles. Swallowed straight or added to food, treat it like an edible: 45–120 minutes and wait 2 hours before more, especially with THC.

The THC Version — Pick Your Source

• THCa isolate (~97%+) — needs decarb. Bake 5g at 240°F for 30–40 minutes until the bubbling stops, cool, then dissolve in the MCT like any isolate. Converts at ~87.7%: 5g → ~4,250mg active THC (~29mg/mL).
• THC distillate (~85–90%) — already active. Straight into the warm oil. 5g at ~85% → ~4,250mg — identical math.
• Other dabbable extracts (~75–80%) — decarb first unless labeled activated. 5g at ~78% after decarb → ~3,420mg (~24mg/mL), with more plant flavor in the finished tincture.

THC tincture safety: at ~29mg/mL this is a strong tincture — measure in tenths of a mL, label every bottle with mg/mL, store away from anyone under 21 and from pets, and never drive after use.

Pet-Friendly Note

For pets, keep it unflavored and THC-free — CBD, CBG, or both. A common rule of thumb is 5–10mg of each cannabinoid per 10 lbs of body weight, and always consult a veterinarian first. Note this DIY recipe at ~65mg/mL is roughly double the strength of our PETS tincture (~34mg/mL), so halve the volume accordingly — or use the dosage calculator's pet mode with the finished product for the easy version.

Common Failure Modes

• Crystals reappearing at the bottom. Normal in cold storage at higher concentrations — the isolate is recrystallizing. Warm the bottle in your hand or a warm water bath and shake; it redissolves fully with no potency loss.
• Cloudy tincture. Water got in — a wet jar or water-based flavoring. Start with bone-dry equipment and oil-soluble flavorings only.
• Flavoring separating. The flavoring wasn't oil-soluble. There's no fixing it; strain and re-flavor with an oil-based concentrate.
• Harsh taste. That's concentration. Add sweetener, use flavored MCT, or dilute with more oil (recalculate your mg/mL after).

FAQs

What is a cannabis tincture? A concentrated liquid of cannabinoids dissolved in a carrier oil, usually taken under the tongue for relatively fast absorption, or added to food and drinks.

Why MCT oil? Cannabinoids are fat-soluble and MCT is one of the most efficient carriers — neutral taste, long shelf life, and good absorption. It's the same carrier our finished tinctures use.

Do I need to decarboxylate? Not for CBD or CBG isolate. THCa isolate and most raw dabbable extracts need decarbing first (240°F, 30–40 minutes); distillate is already active.

CBD vs. THC tincture? Same process, different outcome: CBD and CBG tinctures are non-intoxicating; a THC tincture is psychoactive and should be measured in small fractions of a dropper. Both follow this exact recipe.

Best ways to use a tincture? Under the tongue for 60–90 seconds (fastest), stirred into smoothies or coffee, drizzled on food, or as a baking ingredient — our Edible Dosage Calculator handles the per-serving math when you cook with it.

How should I store tinctures? Amber glass, cool and dark. Properly stored, potency holds for a year or more; shake before use if any crystals form.

Is a homemade tincture legal? Hemp-derived CBD and CBG tinctures made from federally compliant isolate (≤0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight) are legal federally and in most states. Our isolates — including our THCa isolate — are federally compliant hemp-derived products. Check your state's rules for any THC version.

Related Recipes & Products

• CBD Isolate (20g, USDA Organic) — one jar = ten bottles
• CBG Isolate (20g, USDA Organic)
• Finished Mellow Moose tinctures — the done-for-you versions, flavor-tuned and batch-tested
• Cannabis Cooking Oil — the kitchen-scale cousin of this recipe
• Canna-Lean Syrup — the water-friendly, drink-ready format