Vitamin D is an essential vitamin required by the body for the absorption of calcium, bone development, immune functioning and alleviation of inflammation. (1)
A deficiency of Vitamin D can lead to rickets, a weakened immune system, increased cancer risk, poor hair growth and osteomalacia. (1)
Excess vitamin D can cause the body to absorb too much calcium, leading to increased risk of heart disease and kidney stones. (1)
The current daily value (DV) for vitamin D is 20mcg (micrograms) and the toxicity threshold is thought to be 250 to 1000 mcg/day. (1)
Sometimes vitamin D values are given in IU (International Units). When this is the case remember that 1mcg=40IU for Vitamin D. (1)
Vitamin D is fat-soluble, which means you need to eat fat to absorb it. Foods high in vitamin D include fish, mushrooms exposed to sunlight, fortified milk, fortified milk substitutes, fortified tofu, fortified yogurt, fortified breakfast cereals, fortified orange juice, pork chops, and eggs.
Vitamin D is also made by the body when skin is exposed to sunlight and is therefore called the sunshine vitamin. This accounts for approximately 90% of our total vitamin D, with only 10% coming from food. Depending on where you live, 20 minutes of sun exposure a day is enough to meet your vitamin D requirements.
Below is a list of the top 10 foods highest in vitamin D by common serving size, for more see the nutrient ranking of 200 foods high in vitamin D.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- High Vitamin D Foods
- Printable
- Foods High in Vitamin D2
- Foods High in Vitamin D3
- Deficiency Risk Factors
- What Fruits and Vegetables are High in Vitamin D?
- Warnings
- About the Daily Value (%DV) Target
- About the Data
- Nutrient Ranking Tool
- Related
- Feedback
- References
per 6oz FilletVitamin D
per 100gVitamin D
per 200 Calories28.4mcg
(142% DV)16.7mcg
(84% DV)21.4mcg
(107% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Sockeye Salmon. (Source)
More Fish High in Vitamin D
- 91% DV in 3oz of canned salmon
- 87% DV per cup of smoked whitefish
- 71% DV per 3oz swordfish fillet
- 67% DV in a 3oz rainbow trout fillet
- 36% DV per cup of canned sardines
- 31% DV in 6oz tilapia fillet
- 25% DV per 3oz halibut fillet
See all fish high in vitamin D.
per CupVitamin D
per 100gVitamin D
per 200 Calories27.8mcg
(139% DV)31.9mcg
(160% DV)290mcg
(1450% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Raw Cremini Mushrooms (Exposed To Sunlight Or Uv). (Source)
More Mushrooms Exposed to Sunlight High in Vitamin D
- 122% DV per cup of portabella mushrooms
- 98% DV per cup of maitakes
- 92% DV per cup of white button mushrooms
- 17% DV per cup of morels
- 14% DV per cup of chantarelles
- 5% DV per cup of shiitakes
Mushrooms create vitamin D from sunlight much like our bodies. Placing any mushroom under the sun for 20 minutes will boost its vitamin D level.
See the list of vegetables (mushrooms) high in vitamin D.
per 16oz GlassVitamin D
per 100gVitamin D
per 200 Calories6.3mcg
(32% DV)1.3mcg
(7% DV)4.3mcg
(21% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Whole Milk. (Source)
More Dairy High in Vitamin D
- 29% DV per cup of low-fat milk
- 17% DV per cup of dehydrated milk
- 16% DV per cup of buttermilk
- 4% DV per 1/4 cup of queso fresco
See all dairy foods high in vitamin D.
Note: Milk in the US is fortified with vitamin D, but does not contain significant amounts of vitamin D naturally. Therefore, milk from other countries may not be a good source of vitamin D.
per 16oz GlassVitamin D
per 100gVitamin D
per 200 Calories5.8mcg
(29% DV)1.2mcg
(6% DV)7.3mcg
(36% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Soy Milk. (Source)
Other Fortified Milk Substitutes High in Vitamin D
- 26% DV per 16oz glass of almond milk
- 24% DV per 16oz glass of rice milk
- 24% DV per 16oz glass of coconut milk
per CupVitamin D
per 100gVitamin D
per 200 Calories5.7mcg
(28% DV)2.5mcg
(13% DV)5.4mcg
(27% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Extra Firm Fortified Tofu. (Source)
per CupVitamin D
per 100gVitamin D
per 200 Calories3.2mcg
(16% DV)1.3mcg
(7% DV)2.5mcg
(13% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Low Fat Fruit Yogurt (With Vitamin D). (Source)
Yogurt is also high in calcium.
See all dairy foods high in vitamin D.
Note: Dairy products in the US are fortified with vitamin D, but do not contain significant amounts of vitamin D naturally. Therefore, dairy foods from other countries may not be a good source of vitamin D.
per 3/4 CupVitamin D
per 100gVitamin D
per 200 Calories2.5mcg
(12% DV)8.3mcg
(42% DV)5.2mcg
(26% DV)
Nutrition Facts for General Mills Whole Grain Total. (Source)
See the list of Breakfast Cereals High in Vitamin D.
per CupVitamin D
per 100gVitamin D
per 200 Calories2.5mcg
(12% DV)1mcg
(5% DV)4.3mcg
(21% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Orange Juice With Added Calcium And Vitamin D. (Source)
Note: A cup of orange juice contains up to 20 grams of sugar.
in 1 Pork ChopVitamin D
per 100gVitamin D
per 200 Calories2.1mcg
(10% DV)1mcg
(5% DV)0.8mcg
(4% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Pork Chops (With Fat). (Source)
Other Pork Products High in Vitamin D
- 11% DV per 3oz of spare ribs
- 6% DV in 1 cup of lean ham
- 6% DV per 3oz of pepperoni
- 5% DV in a 3oz bratwurst
See all meats high in vitamin D.
in 1 Large EggVitamin D
per 100gVitamin D
per 200 Calories1.1mcg
(6% DV)2.2mcg
(11% DV)2.8mcg
(14% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Hard Boiled Eggs. (Source)
- 15% DV in 1 cup of chopped hard-boiled eggs
- 20% DV in 1 cup of scrambled eggs
See All 200 Foods High in Vitamin D
Printable One Page Sheet
Click to PrintFoods High in Vitamin D2
FoodServingVitamin D1 Portobellos (Exposed To Sun/UV)
View (Source)
per cup diced79% DV(15.9mcg)2 Fortified Soy Milk
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per 16oz glass29% DV(5.8mcg)3 Morel Mushrooms
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per cup17% DV(3.4mcg)4 Fortified Almond Milk
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per cup12% DV(2.4mcg)5 Fortified Rice Milk
View (Source)
per cup12% DV(2.4mcg)6 Shiitake Mushrooms
View (Source)
per cup5% DV(1mcg)7 Oyster Mushrooms
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(0.6mcg)8 White Button Mushrooms
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per cup2% DV(0.3mcg)
Foods High in Vitamin D3
FoodServingVitamin D1 Salmon
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per 6oz fillet142% DV(28.4mcg)2 Rainbow Trout
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per 5oz fillet67% DV(13.5mcg)3 Herring
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per 5oz fillet39% DV(7.7mcg)4 Canned Sardines
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per cup drained36% DV(7.2mcg)5 Whole Milk
View (Source)
per 16oz glass32% DV(6.3mcg)6 Tilapia
View (Source)
per 6oz fillet31% DV(6.3mcg)7 Low-Fat and Skim Milk
View (Source)
per 16oz glass29% DV(5.9mcg)8 Fortified Orange Juice
View (Source)
per cup12% DV(2.5mcg)9 Roasted Pork Ribs
View (Source)
per rack12% DV(2.5mcg)10 Canned Tuna
View (Source)
per 3oz9% DV(1.7mcg)
People at Risk of a Vitamin D Deficiency
- Breastfed Infants Who are Not in the Sun - The amount of vitamin D in breast milk depends on the amount of vitamin D in the mother. However, breast-milk typically does not contain adequate amounts of vitamin D. Be sure infants get some exposure to the sun (at least 10-20 minutes per day) to ensure adequate levels of vitamin D. (1)
- Older Adults - As skin ages it is less and less able to make vitamin D from the sun, so vitamin D has to be attained from foods or supplements. (1)
- People With Little Sun Exposure on the Skin - Wearing sunscreen, or lots of clothing, hampers the production of vitamin D from the sun. (1)
- People with Darker Skin - Melanin, a pigment found in skin, reduces the body's ability to manufacture vitamin D from the sun. (1)
- People who have Problems Absorbing Fat - Vitamin D is fat soluble, which means it is found in fats, and your body has to be able to digest fats in order for you to absorb the vitamin D. (1)
- People Taking Certain Medications
- Steroid Corticosteroid medications used to alleviate inflammation can reduce calcium absorption and impair vitamin D metabolism. (1)
- Weight-loss drugs with orlistat as well as cholesterol-lowering drugs with cholestyramine can reduce the absorption of vitamin D and other fat-soluble vitamins. (1)
- Medicines used to treat epileptic seizures, particularly phenobarbital and phenytoin, interfere with Vitamin D and reduces calcium absorption. (1)
What Fruits and Vegetables are High in Vitamin D?
Vegetables high in vitamin D include mushrooms which have been exposed to sunlight. Other vegan foods high in vitamin D include fortified soy products like tofu, soy milk, and soy yogurt, fortified cereals, and fortified juices.
Unfortunately, no fruits are high in vitamin D, and fortified orange juice is currently the only fruit product commonly sold with vitamin D.
Warnings
Consuming too much vitamin D from food or supplements can lead to anorexia, weight loss, polyuria, heart arrhythmias, kidney stones, and increased risk of heart attacks. Vitamin D cannot reach toxic levels if created naturally from sun exposure. (1)
About the Data
Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.
You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.
Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.