Cook more with less, and thrive.

Skip the salt, refined sugars, and oils—keep all the taste. Learn how therapeutic cooking offers you more ways to heal and thrive in our whole food, plant-based, no-oil cooking course.
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NOURISHING. TRANSFORMATIVE. POSSIBLE.

Feel more like yourself again.

This is not just another plant-based cooking course. Our Plants Protocol at-home, self-paced online culinary training is designed specifically for individuals following the strictest therapeutic protocols or seeking a proven preventive lifestyle that offers more.

More confidence in the kitchen despite strict restrictions.
More meals that actually taste good sans oil, salt, or refined sugar.
More ability to create satisfying meals anywhere, anytime.
More lease on your life.

That's the power of therapeutic cooking.
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FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Clinical Cooking Foundations
Scientific principles behind oil-free, salt-free cooking | How to create delicious, satisfying flavors using therapeutic ingredients | Understanding which foods accelerate versus impede healing
Therapeutic Techniques
Advanced dry-sauté methods for perfect texture without oil | Natural flavor enhancement using herbs, spices, and whole food ingredients | Meal prep strategies for consistent protocol adherence
Complete Protocol Implementation
More than 100 approved recipes for every meal and craving | Meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert 
Long-term Success
Mindset shifts for sustainable lifestyle changes | Troubleshooting common challenges | Building support for protocol adherence within private course group
Frequently Asked Question:
What does "protocol" mean? The term typically refers to a structured dietary and lifestyle regimen design to support specific health outcomes. Check out more FAQs.
Older Latino Hetero Couple Chopping Vegetables in Kitchen and Laughing Together
Join more than 40,000 people worldwide that found a healing, preventative lifestyle change through our therapeutic Plants Protocol WFPBNO cooking course. 
$160
Lifetime Access
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Sliced fresh cucumbers on cutting board with tip of knife
APPROVED BY medical professionals

Whole nutrition plus a whole lot more.

A whole food, plant-based, no oil (WFPBNO) lifestyle is recommended by leading medical professionals like Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. Joel Fuhrman to help prevent and even reverse the progression of heart disease and other chronic ailments.
DESIGNED specifically for chronic diseases

Prevention plus flavor is possible in your lifetime.

WFPBNO offers significant benefits for many—especially for people with or at risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance, inflammatory conditions, and obesity. Also suited for caregivers, nutritionists, and health coaches supporting specific needs of others. Check out a few reviews from the Rouxbe community.
FLEXIBLE ONLINE LEARNING

Plus personalized feedback from expert chefs who have been there, cooked that.

Behind every lesson, every video, and every Rouxbe culinary interaction is a team of professional chef instructors ready to guide your journey. With decades of combined culinary experience, our chefs don't just teach—they mentor, support, and celebrate your progress every step of the way.

Meet a few of the instructors who unlike many other online courses, provide feedback and answer questions throughout our Plant Protocol cooking course.
Rouxbe Instructor Char Nolan Headshot in black and white
Chef Char Nolan
Lead Chef Instructor
Chef Dan Marek Headshot in black and white
Chef Dan Marek
Director of Culinary & Development
Demetra
Demetra Stamus
Chef Instructor
Chef Eric Wynkoop Headshot in black and white
Chef Eric Wynkoop
Director of Culinary Instruction
RECOGNIZED BY THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE FOR CHEFS

Earn continuing education credits too. 

Plant Protocol is an ACF quality program and one of a few WFPBNO cooking courses offering CEH credits upon 90-day completion. If you have additional questions about CEHs, email studentservices@rouxbe.com 
COURSE CURRICULUM

Every technique, recipe, and ingredient choice is optimized for maximum healing power.

Each Rouxbe course is comprised of a series of lessons. Each lesson contains activities of varying length and complexity to build your confidence in the kitchen and empower your success in everyday life. Here's what to expect from Plant Protocol.
ORIENTATION
Lifestyle | Nutrition Overview | Setting Up Your Kitchen | Tools & Equipment 
KNIFE SKILLS
Knives & Knife Sets | Handling Your Chef's Knife | Cutting With a Chef's Knife 
MOIST Heat cooking methods
Steaming Vegetables | Preserving Vegetable Pigments | Submersion
DRY HEAT cooking methods
No Oil Sauté | Roasting Without Oil | Combination Cooking Methods
meal prep & batch cooking
Introduction | Whole Grain Cookery | Cooking Legumes | Pressure Cooking
building flavor
Basic Seasoning & Reducing Sodium | Whole Food Fats | Working with Sweeteners | Acids: Vinegar, Alcohol & Citrus | Herbs & Spices
plant-based staples
Plant-based Stocks | Stocks, Soups & Stews | Oil-free Dressings & Marinades | No Oil Base Sauces| Plant-based Dairy Alternatives
daily meal inspiration & planning
Time for Breakfast | It's Lunchtime | Let's Have Dinner | Who Wants Dessert
REVIEWED BY OVER 10,000 at home cooks, CAREGIVERS, AND COACHES

Much more than your average cooking course. 

I learned how to cook tasty healthy food properly—a goal for me and for my profession. As a nutritionist I wanted to help my patients to eat healthier, and now I can do it with confidence.
Licensed Nutritionist
Sept 2024 Aumni
Rouxbe's course took the feelings of difficulty away by taking me step-by-step through the basics of plant based eating, equipment, knife skills, and use of all kinds of ingredients. 
Course Graduate
May 2024
Everyone, from the administrators to the chefs grading submissions are responsive and thoughtful. My biggest takeaway is the relative ease of how no oil cooking will improve my health, beyond expectations.
Vegan Home Cook
Feb 2025 Alumni

Trusted by partners across the globe.

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The Jacques Pepin Foundation Logo

Frequently asked questions

What does "protocol" mean?
In the context of WFPBNO (Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No Oil), the term “protocol” typically refers to a structured dietary and lifestyle regimen designed to support specific health outcomes—often based on clinical research or physician recommendations. It’s not just "eat more plants"—it's a prescribed set of rules or guidelines for eating (and sometimes behavior), often used for disease reversal or management.
When does class begin?
Once you purchase the course you can start anytime. The 90-day timeline will not begin until you enter the course.Your course is delivered 100% online and available on-demand 24/7 from your computer, phone or tablet. You can work on your course at your own pace within the 90-day timeline.
Does this course provide a certificate?
Upon the successful completion of the Plants Protocol course with a minimum passing grade of 75%, you will be issued a Certificate of Completion.
How long will I have access to the course content?
You have lifetime access to your course content. After you graduate or the timeline ends, only the graded assignments will be locked, but you can still access everything else. We also offer options to extend your course and earn the certificate if you run out of time.
Do I need to purchase other materials in order to complete the course?
You will need a basic set of pots, pans, standard bakeware, cooking and prep bowls, utensils, a comfortable knife and cutting board, and a steamer basket. A basic food processor and high speed blender are also ideal. You don’t have to get everything right away, and you will learn more about selecting tools and equipment in the first unit of the course.
Are there prerequisites or requirements to take this course?
There are no formal prerequisites or requirements, but you will get the most out of this course if you are excited to learn and have the desire to practice cooking regularly, which means there will be plenty of food to cook and share!
How will I be graded?
This course contains automatically graded tasks and multiple choice quizzes as well as cooking tasks that are graded by your chef instructors. You will follow directions to prepare a recipe and take photos displaying your work. You will also write descriptions and submit these to your instructor. The instructor will then provide you personal feedback and a grade.
What if I don’t want to do the graded tasks?
Earning the certificate is optional. If you don't wish to be graded, you are free to simply explore the content, watch the videos, and access the recipes and live events at your leisure. In fact, many students take the course for information only and do not wish to take quizzes or upload assignments, and that's fine with us!
Will I have interaction with my instructors?
Yes! You can ask your chef instructors questions within your course and during live events. We encourage you to ask course content questions or share comments at any time
Does this program qualify me for a job in the food and beverage industry?
While we cannot guarantee employment or a particular position in the industry, these courses provide technique and knowledge that is foundational to success in the industry.
Do I have to pay my tuition all at once or do I have other options?
If you don’t want to pay all at once, you will find various payment options on the course registration page (Klarna, PayPal, AmazonPay, WeChatPay).
How is this course different from the Forks Over Knives (FOK) Ultimate course?
Our new Plants Protocol cooking course is replacing the Forks Over Knives (FOK) Ultimate cooking course after concluding our ten-year partnership. Plants Protocol teaches the same whole-food plant-based, no-oil low sodium techniques and contains the same type of assignments. However, there are at least 25 new recipes not included in the original FOK course.
What is your cancellation and refund policy?
You may cancel the course within 14 days of opening it and receive a full refund. After 14 days, there are no refunds.

Ready to cook your way back to health?

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