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The science of plant-based food, taught from the molecule up.
A free, hands-on course that teaches you why a chickpea foams, how koji turns rice into umami, and what it takes to engineer a plant-based steak. Twelve modules. A kitchen lab in every one. No animals, no shortcuts.
Most plant-based cooking advice is folklore.
This is the science underneath it.
The plant-based food world moves fast — but the chemistry is timeless. Learn the principles once, and you'll understand every new product, ingredient, and technique that follows.
First principles, not recipes
Why does aquafaba whip? What gives tempeh its bite? You'll learn the mechanisms — proteins, gels, emulsions, microbes — so you can predict, troubleshoot, and invent.
Hands-on in your kitchen
Every module has a lab built around equipment most home cooks already own. A scale, a thermometer, a blender — and 25 experiments later, you'll feel the science.
From the legume to the lab-grown
Cover the basics — beans, grains, seeds — and the frontier: precision fermentation, mycelium, 3D-printed meat alternatives. The whole landscape of vegan food, from kitchen to bioreactor.
Free, open, and remixable
Released under Creative Commons. Fork it, translate it, teach it. The source lives on GitHub — every diagram, every quiz, every word.
Twelve modules, one continuous arc
Start with the chemistry of food itself, build up through proteins, fats, and fermentation, then synthesize everything into your own plant-based product.
Foundations of Plant-Based Food Chemistry
What food is — at the molecular level. Macromolecules, water activity, and the lens of food science.
Plant Proteins: The Building Blocks
Legumes, grains, and novel sources. Amino acid scoring, protein isolation, and texturization fundamentals.
Fats, Oils, and Plant Lipids
Saturation, smoke points, emulsions, and engineering fat-like mouthfeel without animal fats.
Carbohydrates, Starches, and Hydrocolloids
Gelatinization, retrogradation, and the wizardry of pectin, agar, xanthan, and methylcellulose.
The Art and Science of Fermentation
Tempeh, miso, koji, and modern vegan cheese — wielding microbes to build flavor and texture.
Texturization Technologies
Extrusion, shear cell, mycelium, and 3D printing — how plants get bite, grain, and chew.
Flavor and Sensory Science
Maillard chemistry, the umami toolbox, and taming the off-notes of plant proteins.
Replacing Eggs and Dairy
Aquafaba foams, plant milks, vegan butters, and the functional roles you must replace.
Nutrition and Bioavailability
Complete proteins, B12, iron, omega-3s, and the science of fortification done well.
Sustainability and Food Systems
Life-cycle assessment, planetary boundaries, and where plant-based food fits in a fed world.
The Frontier: Precision Fermentation, Cellular Ag & 3D Printing
Where the field is going next — and what "vegan" means when food is grown in a bioreactor.
Capstone: Design a Plant-Based Product
Synthesize everything: a brief, a formulation, a kitchen prototype, and a product story.
Cooking is chemistry you can eat.
This course was built for the curious — for the cook who wonders why their cashew cheese tastes a little flat, the food entrepreneur trying to understand a spec sheet, the scientist who wants to actually taste the molecules they read about.
Plant-based food is one of the most interesting frontiers in modern science. It sits at the crossroads of biochemistry, ecology, sensory science, and craft. We'll treat it with the seriousness it deserves — and the joy it inspires.
Open the kitchen. Open the textbook.
No sign-up. No paywall. Your progress is saved on your device.