30+ Vitamin K foods

Vitamin K is a nutrient that, just like other vitamins, works in a certain way to help keep our bodies healthy.

What does Vitamin K do?

Of all the vitamins and minerals, it’s Vitamin K’s ‘job’ to aid blood clotting and wound healing. It keeps our bones healthy too. Adults need around 1 microgram (mcg) a day for each kilogram of their body weight.¹ For example, if you weigh 85kg, then you need 85mcg of Vitamin K a day, or if you weigh 90kg, then you’ll need 90mcg. The amount of Vitamin K needed also depends on whether you’re male or female, how old you are, and for women, if they’re pregnant or breastfeeding:

Average daily recommended Vitamin K levels:

Age	Recommended amount2
Birth to 6 months	2mcg
7 to 12 months	2.5mcg
1 to 3 years	30mcg
4 to 8 years	55mcg
9 to 13 years	60mcg
14 to 18 years	75mcg
Adult men ( 19 years old and over)	120mcg
Adult women (19 years old and over)	90mcg
Pregnant or breastfeeding teenagers	75mcg
Pregnant or breastfeeding women	90mcg

Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2 – explained

Vitamin K is made up of a whole group of vitamins that have a similar chemical structure and sit within the Vitamin K ‘family’. These include Vitamin K1 and K2, the two main dietary forms of Vitamin K.³ Vitamin K1, which is also called phylloquinone, is mainly found in plant foods, such as leafy green vegetables. Between 75 and 90% of the Vitamin K we eat is Vitamin K1. Vitamin K2 is found in fermented food and animal products. It also happens to be produced by our gut bacteria. There are several sub-groups of Vitamin K2; they’re called menaquinones (MKs) and are named according to how long their side chain is, and go from MK-4 up to MK-13.⁴

Vitamin K foods

More common Vitamin K food includes the leafy green veg we mentioned up above, so your broccoli, your sprouts, your cabbage, green beans and lettuce. Meanwhile, the lesser known Vitamin K food includes pickled cucumber, sauerkraut, and the Japanese breakfast dish, Natto, which is made from fermented soybeans.⁵ There are many more Vitamin K-rich food stuffs out there, including the examples below:⁶

20 foods high in Vitamin K

1. Kale

• 1 cup of cooked kale contains 544mcg of Vitamin K
• 100g of cooked kale contains 419mcg
• For every 200 calories, there’s 2,2325mcg of Vitamin K

2. Cabbage

• 1 cup of cooked cabbage contains 163mcg of Vitamin K
• 100g of cooked cabbage contains 109mcg
• For every 200 calories, there’s 945mcg of Vitamin K

3. Broccoli

• 1 cup of cooked broccoli contains 220mcg of Vitamin K
• 100g of cooked broccoli contains 141mcg
• For every 200 calories, there’s 806mcg of Vitamin K

4. Brussels Sprouts

• 1 cup of cooked sprouts contains 219mcg of Vitamin K
• 100g of cooked sprouts contains 140mcg
• For every 200 calories, there’s 779mcg of Vitamin K

5. Asparagus

• 1 cup of cooked asparagus contains 91mcg of Vitamin K
• 100g of cooked asparagus contains 51mcg
• For every 200 calories, there’s 460mcg of Vitamin K

6. Picked cucumber

• 1 cup of cooked pickled cucumber contains 130mcg of Vitamin K
• 100g of cooked pickled cucumber contains 77mcg
• For every 200 calories, there’s 126mcg of Vitamin K

7. Green beans

• 1 cup of cooked green beans contains 60mcg of Vitamin K
• 100g of cooked green beans contains 48mcg
• For every 200 calories, there’s 274mcg of Vitamin K

8. Lettuce

• 1 cup of lettuce contains 56mcg of Vitamin K
• 100g of lettuce contains 102mcg
• For every 200 calories, there’s 1,574mcg of Vitamin K

9. Okra

• 1 cup of okra contains 64mcg of Vitamin K
• 100g of okra contains 40mcg
• For every 200 calories, there’s 364 mcg of Vitamin K

9. Spinach

• 1 cup of cooked spinach contains 888mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 740%

10. Mustard greens

• 1 cup of cooked mustard greens contains 829mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 691%

11. Collards

• 1 cup of cooked collards contains 772mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 772%

12. Dandelion greens

• 1 cup of cooked dandelion greens contains 579mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 482%

13. Swiss char

• 1 cup of cooked swiss chard contains 572mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 477%

14. Turnip greens

• 1 cup of cooked turnip greens contains 529mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 441%

15. Cress

• 1 cup of cooked garden cress contains 517mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 431%

16. Tinned asparagus

• 1 cup of cooked tinned asparagus contains 99.9mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 83%

17. Pumpkin leaves

• 1 cup of cooked pumpkin leaves contains 76.7mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 64%

18. Red cabbage

• 1 cup of cooked red cabbage contains 71.4mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 60%

19. Kimchi

• 1 cup of kimchi contains 65.4mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 65.4%

20. Celeriac

• 1 cup of celeriac contains 64mcg
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 53%

What fruits are high in Vitamin K?

The following fruits are packed full of Vitamin K, starting from the highest mcg level to the lowest:⁷

1. Kiwi fruit

• 1 cup of slice kiwi fruit contains 72.5mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 60%

2. Avocado

• 1 cup of pureed avocado contains 42.4mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 35%

3. Plantains

• 1 cup of sliced plantains contains 42.6mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 36%

4. Rhubarb

• 1 cup of diced rhubarb contains 35.7mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 30%

5. Blueberries

• 1 cup of blueberries contains 28.5mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 24%

6. Blackberries

• 1 cup of blackberries contains 28.5mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 24% 

7. Pomegranates

• 1 cup of pomegranates contains 28.5mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 24%

8. Red or green grapes

• 1 cup of red or green grapes contains 22mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 18%

9. Prunes

• 3 prunes contain 17.9mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 15%

10. Plums

• 1 cup of sliced plums contains 10.6mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 9%

11. Raspberries

• 1 cup of raspberries contains 9.6mcg of Vitamin K
• This equates to a Daily Value (DV) of 8%

Shop Supplements Last updated: 10 November 2020 Sources 1 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-k/ 2 https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminK-Consumer/ 3 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-k1-vs-k2 4 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-k1-vs-k2#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3 5 https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-k.php#foods-rich-in-vitamin-K 6 https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-k.php#foods-rich-in-vitamin-K 7 https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-k.php#foods-rich-in-vitamin-K