How To Make Your Own Snus At Home (Pre-Cook Alkalinization)! 7 May 2025

In case you haven't noticed lately, the FDA is at war with tobacco harm reduction.  They've been doing everything in their power to keep products, like snus, out of the hands of American consumers.  Many have begun finding other ways to use snus, such as making your own at home.  You can buy kits, such as the ones made by SnusRoom.com/SwedSnus.  However, some folks are wanting to make their own from start to finish!  There are a few ways to do this.  You can either purchase tobacco online, or you can grow your own tobacco.  Today, I'm going to share a recipe on how to make snus from scratch.  I'll be using tobacco I grew in 2023 that just finished aging recently.  This recipe is via u/scandinavian_surfer on the DIY snus subreddit.  He told me it's a recipe that is commonly done in the DIY snus groups in Sweden.  

What do you need?

The ingredients are simple.  Tobacco is the main ingredient, which I'll touch on shortly.  But, you'll need washing soda (sodium carbonate), sea salt, food grade propylene glycol, food grade glycerine, and Xanthan gum.  I'll link to where I bought those products on Amazon.  But you can find most of this locally, as well.  I did the sous vide method, however next time I think I'm going to try using an Inkbird for temperature control.  This recipe is a "pre-cook alkalization" recipe, because we alkalize before we cook.  I'll do another article at some point with the post-cook alkalization method, too.  Now, let's talk about the tobacco!

The Tobacco

In 2023, I grew a small crop of tobacco which I began aging in the fall of 2023.  That's what I'll be using to make this batch.  Recipe-wise, it’s 97.8g of Virginia tobacco, 33.7g of Burley tobacco, 33.6g of Havana tobacco, and 8g of Mammoth tobacco.  That breaks down to about 56% Virginia, 20% Havana, 20% Burley, and 4% Mammoth.   I didn't select this mix for any particular reason, this is just the results of what I grew in 2023.

Grinding The Tobacco

If you purchase whole tobacco leaf, you'll want to grind it down.  To grind mine down, I used a food processor, but that didn't get it as fine as I wanted.  So after that, I put it in my wife's coffee grinder and that got it down to the fine consistency I wanted.  I ended up with about 169.3g of dried tobacco to start the recipe with.

The Boil

To note, in this recipe the amounts will all be Baker's weight units (grams).  The percentage is percent of your tobacco weight.  To start off, you'll want to boil 145% water.  For my recipe, I had 169.3g tobacco, so that was 245.49g.  You'll add 7-8% salt and 6-7% washing soda to that.  I met in the middle and did 7.5% salt (12.69g) and 6.5% baking soda (11g).  

Blending It Up

Add this mixture to your dry tobacco.  I used a simple handheld kitchen mixer to blend it.  This helped to get out any clumps.

Juice It Up

After you blend it, you'll want to "juice it".  Take the back of a spoon, and press on the tobacco.  

Jar Your Mix

After you juice it up and have a good mix, add your mix to a jar.  I use a simple Ball Mason Jar.  I think mine was a 24oz jar.  Don't put the lid on too tight, just do it about "finger tight".  Meaning, a few twists, so pressure can release if needed.

Pasteurizing Your Snus

There are a few ways you can do this, but for this cook I did the sous vide method.  It'll need to process at 190 degrees F for 32-48 hours.  I did my batch at 48 hours.  I've also heard if you wrap it in a towel and cover the pot, the sous vide won't have to work so hard.  Next time, I think I'm going to try the Crock Pot method with the Inkbird, to see if it differs in how well it works.  

24 Hour Mix

After 24 hours, take out your jar, and let it cool to room temperature.  Take the snus out, mix it thoroughly, then put it back into the water.

48 Hour Mix

After 48 hours, you can begin the final mix.  In this part of the recipe, you'll want to add propylene glycol (3-4%), Glycerine (3-4%), and a "knife tip" of Xanthan gum.  Note, this is % of cooked mixture, not % of your original dry tobacco amount.  I did 3.5% PG (12.97g), and 3% of glycerine (11.1g), as I didn't want it to be too sweet.  The knife tip of Xanthan gum helps with texture, so I was told by the Surfer not to go too crazy with it.

Knead Your Tobacco

After you've done the mix, you'll want to knead your tobacco.  I use a simple kneading bag I paid like 9 bucks for.  Knead it for about 5 minutes, or until you get to your desired texture.

The Result

After you need it, you'll want to put it in the fridge for 2-6 weeks to age, this gets it to it's optimal taste.  However, after a week it is technically good to go.  In the end, I came out with 383.7g of processed snus, after starting with 169.3g of dried tobacco.   At 42 grams, 383g is about 9 cans, so not a lot, but this was my first time doing this process.  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, personally.  Once it's finished aging, I'll come back and do a review!

VIDEO: How To Make Your Own Snus At Home (Recipe)

VIDEO: Tobacco Growing & Making Snus: From Seed To Can!