Plant-Based Cooking Programs to Enroll in This Year!

Do you love to cook and experiment in the kitchen? Maybe you are even thinking about becoming a professional chef. Lucky enough, there are loads of programs you can look into to further your plant-based cooking skills! Check out this list of 10 vegan cooking programs across the United States.

1. Living Light Culinary Institute — Fort Bragg, California

Light Living International/Raw Food Chef

Living Light Culinary Institute in Fort Bragg California is the leading organic raw vegan school in the world. They offer several programs that are designed for cooking novices, as well as skilled chefs. In this program, students will learn everything from mastering how to use a knife, to developing a menu and hosting a delicious, healthy, organic plant-based event. They offer culinary courses like Fundamentals of Living Foods, Vegan and Raw Nutrition, Raw Vegan Artisan Desserts, and more. Nutrition classes are also available, where students will learn about all the basics like vitamins, minerals, protein, omegas, and more.

2. Vegan Culinary Academy — Napa, California

logo/Vegan Culinary Academy

If you have a busy schedule and want to take classes on your own time, enroll in the Vegan Culinary Academy, which is all online. The program is 18 lessons, that benefit chefs, cookies, dietitians, and wellness coaches. The cooking class instructions offer one-on-one instruction as well as flexibility since you are able to make your own schedule. The program is called, ‘Vegan Cooking for the Commercial Kitchen’ and students use eBooks, read additional textbooks, watch demonstrations, and follow step-by-step instructions to create a finished product. After cooking, students will follow up with their professor, by taking pictures of the final product and emailing the requested information.

3. The School of Natural Cookery — Boulder, Colorado

Julianaa’s Notes/School of Natural Cookery

In Boulder, Colorado, check out The School of Natural Cookery if you are looking for a reputable plant-based cooking program. In this program, students learn how to create dishes that taste good, using as many whole foods ingredients as possible. Students can take courses like Seed Protein, where you learn about tofu, tempeh, and seitan and how to make them from scratch. Other course include Improvising Vegan Desserts, Living Foods, Natural Breads, and more.

Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts is providing students with everything they need to become a superb vegan chef like in-depth and hands-on understanding of plant-based nutrition. Classes and demonstrations include Vegan Chocolate Desserts, Southeast Asian Cooking, Vegan UMami: A 3 Day Intensive Course, The Vegan Mezze Platter, and more.

5. Rouxbe, Plant-Based Nutrition Class

Rouxbe/Meat Free Mondays

The Plant-Based Nutrition Program by Rouxbe provides online courses for students who want to learn more about vegan cooking. The courses guide students through practice recipes, exercises, instructional lesson content, and more. Some courses to take include Essential Vegan Desserts, Professional Plant-Based Course, Professional Cook Certificate, and more.

6. Natural Kitchen Cooking School — New Jersey

Natural Kitchen Cooking School/Linkedin

If you are really looking to up your vegan cooking game, enroll in the Mastery Program at the Natural Kitchen Cooking School. The program provides the opportunity to perfect your culinary skills and teaches you the art of plant-based cooking. It is a four-month long program where students learn the fundamentals of plant-based cooking and natural foods. This program includes plant-based recipes, instructional cooking videos, group coaching calls, and more.

7. eCornell University Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition 

Nutrition Studies/eCornell

eCornell is offering a program in plant-based nutrition, and with successful completion of the program, students receive a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. The program is designed to help students understand the importance of diet and nutrition. Students take courses like Nutrition and Society, Diseases of Affluence, and Applying the Whole-Food Plant Based Lifestyle, and each course is two weeks long.

8. Forks Over Knives Online Cooking Course 

Recipes/Forks Over Knives

If you’re familiar with the vegan documentary ‘Forks Over Knives’ then you understand how great it is that they are offering a online cooking course! It is a 90-day course, that specializes in whole foods, plant-based recipes and meals. This course will teach students everything you need to know about plant-based cooking, like how to hold a knife, how to perfectly steam vegetables, how to preserve vegetables pigments, how to cook grains, and more.

9. Mimi Clark’s Vegan Cooking Classes — Fairfax, Virginia 

If you are located in the Virginia area and are looking for a plant-based cooking program, check out Mimi Clark’s Vegan Cooking Classes. She offers a variety of different classes like Plant-Based Comfort Foods, One-Pot Meals, Desserts and Candy Making, Meatless Holiday Meals, and more.

10. AS Vegetarian Culinary Arts — Collegedale, Tennessee

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Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, offers students an Associate of Science Degree in Vegetarian Culinary Arts. Students take courses like Vegetarian Main Dishes and Entrees, Fresh and Raw, Baking and Pastries, and more. To be accepted into this program, applicants need to show that they are passionate about food and creating dishes, and have a strong work ethic.

If you love to cook, but don’t want to enroll in a program, we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App, where you can find recipes like Jalapeño Black Bean Patties With Mexican Coleslaw, Whole Food Raw Chia Tart, Balsamic Roasted Garlic Mushrooms, and so much more! The app is available for both Android and iPhone, and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. The app has more than 10,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to new recipes every day. Check it out!

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