Some people like the taste of cannabis in general, but let’s face it: any plant extract can taste like an unholy ménage à trois between Brussel sprouts, warm beer, and the wrong end of a camel.

We’ve never tasted that last little bit, but let’s say some members of the plant kingdom can leave you feeling conned.

If you don’t want to deal with the taste of plant extracts, try delta 8. This isolated extract is much easier to mask with other foods and flavors, making it more discreet when cooking with it. You won’t have nosy neighbors at your door asking if you’re doing something illegal (or asking you to share, which could get expensive).

Here are some ways to make your delta 8 journey delicious while creating mealtime fun — lots of fun!

What Does Delta 8 THC Taste Like?

Some people report that delta 8 tastes a little like medicine, but maybe that’s just bad flavoring. In general, it has a slight bitter tanginess to it, but nothing that isn’t overcome by chasing it down with a flavored beverage or putting it in something tasty.

It’s mild enough, though, that you could take it plain. Out of the THC extracts, delta 8 is much more palatable than most.

Why You Should Take Delta 8 THC With Meals

Besides the taste, you should take delta 8 with food for many of the same reasons you take medicine with food.

Food reduces side effects like stomach irritation or indigestion. Even if you’re accustomed to delta 8, taking it on an empty stomach can make your stomach lining a little touchy, especially if you’re under stress.

Consistent results are another big reason to take it with meals. With food, your delta 8 high doesn’t burst into the party and yell, “I’m here, everyone!” When it departs, it doesn’t pull everything out of the room in its wake; it just takes leave and puts its Area 52 calling card on the hall table.

Delta 8 also binds with fats, so taking it with meals makes it more bioavailable, helping you absorb more of it. Also, when you take it simultaneously every day, it’s easier to find your favorite dose, and the effects become more consistent.

Choosing Your Delta 8 Distillate

You want to make sure you get a product that’s as refined as possible. The best colors are pale amber or pink. Avoid dark or black products. It should also be clear and have good potency. A distillate is very thick and gooey and can be thinned with oil — like MCT oil — to create tinctures or delta 8 oils.

A good delta 8 distillate or tincture can be expensive. The compound is costly to refine and requires specialized equipment. If you find a cheap delta 8 or something that’s “the lowest price on the internet,” get out while the getting’s good. Finding the best quality is not only for the sake of potency but for the sake of your health. Spend the money on a safe, first-rate product.

How can you make sure you’re getting a top-quality product with the advertised potency and safety levels? Ask for proof. A company should give you the certificate of analysis (COA) upfront, have a link on their website or provide you with one immediately when you ask for it.

When you get your COA, make sure the batch numbers match. Look for pesticides and harsh chemicals, and if you don’t understand something on the COA or want to make sure the certificate is legit, contact the testing agency.

Using Delta 8 Tinctures With Food

Delta 8 companies often thin the distillate, creating a tincture; some come flavored. These products are fine if you know how you want to use them. On the other hand, you may want a tincture with no added flavor for more versatility.

For instance, at Area 52, our tinctures come in cherry and vanilla flavors. The 1-ounce bottle packs a whopping 1,200 mg of delta 8 (40 mg per mL, or around 1.5 mg per drop). You could easily drop them into drinks, desserts, and dessert sauces.

Quite a few users report that they infuse their meals with delta 8 distillate. Here are some ways to do this without compromising food taste, texture, or delta 8 effectiveness.

How to Pair Delta 8 With Food

So you got your hands on a high-quality distillate? Good for you! Now you need to make it taste good. There are lots of different ways to do this, and here are a few of the best. We’ll break it down by the meal so you can enjoy it anytime.

Of course, keep in mind that if this is your first time infusing your food with delta 8 or you’re new to the delta 8 world, take it slow. You don’t want to get too much and find out the next day that you danced naked on your deck right when neighborhood kids were getting out of school or ordered paisley carpet for the whole house.

Remember that cannabis compounds bond with fats and need them for bioavailability. For this reason, it’s a good idea to take your delta 8 THC with fatty meals to optimize its effectiveness.

1. Taking Delta 8 With Breakfast

If you want to start the day off with a friendly, gentle bang, load your breakfast with this fantastic compound.

Breakfast foods that pair well with delta 8 THC:

• Steel-cut oats
• Omelets
• Bulletproof coffee
• Avocado on toast
• Almond butter toast
• Yogurt (full fat)
• Hemp smoothies

Steel-cut oats with cinnamon and nutmeg are a great companion for delta 8 distillate. Steel-cut oats have a slightly more robust, nuttier flavor than rolled oats and pair well with spices. Melt a little butter, add the delta 8, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then stir into the cooked oats.

A little sugar or stevia is a good addition if you like a sweeter flavor. To up the food value, make it with unsweetened almond milk and add some protein powder.

If you need something more substantial, try a delta 8 omelet by putting the distillate directly into the cooking oil or melted butter. Add in some grated cheese and tomato, and top with arugula to complement any remaining plant taste.

Add a side of avocado toast with Himalayan pink salt for a perfect accompaniment. You can even add delta 8 into the avocado because of the high-fat content. If you’re a vegetarian, you can add nutritional yeast to the eggs for a good dose of vitamin B12.

If you like almond butter, it’s ideal for a delta 8 addition because of the monounsaturated fat. Studies have linked this fat to healthier hearts and blood sugar. Mix into the butter before applying it to the toast.

Yogurt is often a healthy go-to for busy people. Just open the lid and eat while you’re drying your hair, slipping on your shoes, or starting the dishwasher before you sit down to play video games work. Make sure you buy full-fat yogurt. Greek yogurt is a perfect choice for delta 8. Just drop it right in, stir, and enjoy!

Hemp smoothies are all the rage right now. Keep in mind if you want a vegan smoothie, you’ll likely need to add some fats, but mix the delta 8 into the fat first. Try cocoa butter for chocolate smoothies, hemp seed or avocado oil for green veggie smoothies, and grape seed oil for fruit smoothies. Blend very well to avoid oil separation.

2. Taking Delta 8 With Lunch

Sure, you can soak some up on your sandwich bread, dump a little into a burger or use it in condiments. But why do that when you can have pasta, pizza, or a delicious salad?

Lunchtime foods that pair well with delta 8 THC:

• Pasta salad or hot pasta dishes
• Salads with high-fat dressings
• Meatballs for pasta or sandwiches
• Pizza and flatbreads
• Cream cheese roll-ups
• Cooked or smoked salmon
• Tuna, chicken, and egg salad

A delicious pasta salad of cold pasta with broccoli, tomatoes, and zucchini with a bit of Italian dressing is a great light lunch choice. Add your distillate to the dressing and call it good! Remember to use a product with full fat. Note that this is a good traveling dish, but make sure you’re only going one way and don’t drive under the influence.

If you want a hot pasta dish, which would also be an excellent choice for dinner, cook the pasta and toss with a prepared mixture of pine nut pesto and delta 8. Top with shredded parmesan and enjoy with garlic toast. If you don’t like pesto, brown butter is delicious on pasta — add the delta 8 to the butter before tossing in the pasta.

You can also divide your delta 8 between the garlic toast and pasta if you want to spread it out a bit more (put it in the melted butter before adding the garlic and brushing on the bread). And feel free to use multigrain pasta — the more flavor you add, the less the other flavors will come through.

Any green salads will pair well with delta 8 as long as you use dressings with high fat. The top candidates are oil and vinegar and Italian, both for flavor and fat content. Add to the oil before the salad.

Who doesn’t love a good meatball? We hear crickets! Even vegans love meatballs with all the great meat replacements like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger. Add the delta 8 to the cooking oil or high-fat sauce you slather them in.

Pizza and flatbreads are perfect companions to delta 8. If you make your own pizza, add the delta 8 to some olive oil before you brush on the crust, then add the sauce, cheese, and toppings. Same for flatbread.

Cream cheese rollups are both delicious and an excellent choice for your carrier. Add the delta 8 to some cream cheese, drop the treated cheese onto slices of cold cuts, roll them up, and go! This is also a very portable preparation. If you’re vegetarian, use romaine lettuce instead of cold cuts.

Salmon is a very high-fat fish and is often coated in additional oils, so it doesn’t dry out. This makes it perfect for delta 8. You can add it directly to the fish, add it to the oil first, or create a sauce (hollandaise is ideal) to drizzle on top. If you poach your fish in oil, wait until you remove the fish — if you add it to the cooking oil, you’ll pour a lot of it down the drain.

Tuna and chicken salad are good at covering up any taste you might pick up from the delta 8. Add delta 8 to the mayonnaise first.

3. Taking Delta 8 With Dinner

You can add it to dinner sandwiches or burgers if you want. But you can also add it to a host of other great dishes, condiments, and sides.

Dinners that pair well with delta 8 THC:

• Croquettes and patties
• Creamed veggies
• Gravy and stuffing
• Tacos and burritos
• Chili
• Sausage and kraut
• Condiments

One great choice is chicken or turkey croquettes (or other patties). Make your favorite recipe and add a little delta 8 to your white sauce. If you like creamed peas with your croquettes, divide the delta 8 between both sauces.

If you like roasts, there’s always gravy! So many things go into a delicious sauce that the addition of another flavor is a non-issue. Rather than add it to the whole pot, dose it per person, then pour piping hot over mashed potatoes.

Another great place for your delta 8 is in stuffing if you’re eating chicken or turkey. Again, portion out some of it separately, and cook in a ramekin or small baking pan with each person’s preferred dose.

Tex-Mex food deserves a special mention here. Much of it is high in fat. You can mix the delta 8 into your refried beans or meat (if you use vegetarian, add oil), wrap it in a tortilla, then top with your favorite hot sauce. If you’re on a low-carb diet, wrap it in Romaine or add it to chopped lettuce and spinach for a fabulous Southwestern salad.

Chili is a popular dish in the United States, and there are contests all over the country to see whose is the best. Let’s make yours the best by adding delta 8! To keep track of dosage, portion out the servings, then add to each person’s bowl.

Although sausage and sauerkraut are an acquired taste, if you have acquired it, nothing can replace it. It’s meaty and tangy simultaneously, and you won’t taste anything else in it. Add delta 8 to the sausage as you fry it up, then top with your favorite kraut (some also use kimchi).

High-fat condiments are perfect for delta 8 carriers. Hollandaise is a delicious candidate, although you have to be careful of the consistency. If you like Middle Eastern food, tahini and hummus are great veggie-dipping sauces. And never underestimate the power of butter — melt it, add your delta 8, chill it again, and spread it on your favorite foods.

4. Taking Delta 8 With Desserts

There are plenty of high-fat desserts that go very well with delta 8. In fact, if you wait until dessert, you’ll have more in your stomach and could extend your fun a little longer.

Desserts that pair well with delta 8 THC:

• Brownies
• Chocolate
• High-fat drinks and smoothies
• Toppings
• Cheesecake
• Baklava
• Cookies and cake

Brownies and cupcakes and cookies, oh my! The perennial favorite is brownies, but that may be because pot brownies have been an institution unto themselves for generations. Or maybe it’s because everyone loves the chewy goodness bordered by crunchy edges — sinful enough that you could go straight to hell for eating it.

Chocolate deserves a special note here. Some users report a very smooth absorption when chocolate is involved. And who could argue with the delicious treat, anyway? Just melt the butter you’re going to use in the recipe and add the delta 8 to it before combining the ingredients. Prefer chocolate bars? There are plenty to choose from online.

Area 52 deserves another mention in the dessert section. Of course, you can use the cherry tincture for desserts or after-dinner beverages that would benefit from a bit of a berry lift, like smoothies. However, vanilla improves anything not improved by bacon, so the vanilla tincture is a perfect flavor for experimentation here. Both flavors are great additions to dessert toppings, too.

Ice cream sauces and toppings are also ideal choices for delta 8 distillates. Praline, butterscotch, toffee, and caramel are all great high-fat choices.

Cheesecake is a delicious choice as well and has a high-fat content. Tiramisu cheesecake is a favorite because of the strong taste of the espresso-soaked ladyfingers. Pistachio cheesecake is a good runner-up for the complementary flavor of the pistachio pudding.

If you are inclined and talented in the kitchen, you might also try baklava. It’s not easy to make but contains a decent amount of butter and a maze of flavors where the delta 8 can get lost. Area 52’s vanilla tincture is a perfect candidate.

Almost all cookie recipes are high fat, so you don’t need to look far for something decadent. Some delicious cakes high in fat are chocolate lava and pudding cakes.

Foods to Avoid with Delta 8 THC

This comes down to personal preference, but some things are less likely to pair well with delta 8. Here are a few foods you might want to avoid — unless you like taking risks, but you can’t say we didn’t warn you.

• Dishes that depend on an exact recipe or amount of liquid for texture or thickness
• Low-fat foods
• Foods that might get soggy when the extract is applied directly to them, like cake or bread
• Foods that would not go well with the slight chemical taste of delta 8, such as heavy citrus or pickled foods or recipes that include a lot of vinegar

You might dodge dishes that depend heavily on an exact recipe for texture or thickness. Also, think twice about recipes that don’t contain a lot of fat. For instance, you would not want to dump your delta 8 in your coffee unless you use heavy cream or butter in it, and French macarons would not make a suitable carrier for your cannabinoids.

Some citrusy desserts may not taste very good with delta 8, such as a simple dish of strawberries or blueberries with sugar. If you don’t taste delta 8 or don’t mind what you taste, add some cream to the fruit for the fat and go to town.

Some people don’t taste much in the distillate and may want to try it in various foods. To each their own, so feel free to experiment.

Just remember that the food must have some fat as a carrier for optimum absorption. You don’t want to flush your highly-researched, expensive delta 8 down the thunderbox, do you? Yeah, neither do we!

Final Thoughts: Should I Mix Delta 8 THC with Food?

There is really no reason not to mix delta 8 with food unless you’re on a low-fat diet, which would cost you absorption.

Mixing delta 8 with your food makes it more enjoyable, easier to share and enjoy with friends, and keeps the high going better and longer. There are many ways to enjoy delta 8 with food, but keep in mind the cardinal rules:

• Choose a high-quality distillate — get a COA, and make sure you understand what it says.
• Compute the number of milligrams per serving and multiply the doses by the number of dishes. Still, it’s easier to prepare the servings first than add each person’s preferred amount separately.
• It would be best if you had fat in the meal to make the best use of the delta 8.
• Use it in something you’ll eat all of, not in cooking oil or water that the food will not fully absorb.
• If you’re new to adding delta 8 to food, start with smaller doses and increase over time for safety and the best experience.

No doubt there are lots of other ways to enjoy delta 8 with food. If you create something that’s out-of-this-world delicious, we’d love to hear about it. Drop us a line through our contact page to show us what you’ve come up with.