20 Foods Rich in Vitamin D

Posted by AweSamo December 16, 2025
20 Foods Rich in Vitamin D

Key Takeaways

  • People can get vitamin D from sunlight, food, and supplements.
  • Food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish, egg yolks, and mushrooms.
  • Certain foods, like cow’s milk, non-dairy milk, breakfast cereals, and orange juice, are also frequently fortified with vitamin D.

Healthy foods that are rich in vitamin D include fatty fish, mushrooms grown under ultraviolet (UV) light, and egg yolks, among others. Some foods, such as milk and breakfast cereal, are often fortified with vitamin D—meaning that it is added to them during manufacturing. 

Fatty Fish

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Oily, fatty fish, which also provide omega-3 fatty acids, are one of the best food sources of vitamin D. Examples of fish proteins that are rich in vitamin D include:

  • Herring
  • Salmon
  • Mackerel
  • Tuna
  • Sardines
  • Trout
  • Swordfish

Mushrooms Grown Under UV Light

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Mushrooms produce vitamin D if exposed to UV radiation during growth. Raw shiitake, chanterelle, and oyster mushrooms are particularly rich sources of vitamin D if grown in this way.

Cooking mushrooms in water doesn’t affect the amount of vitamin D content, but cooking mushrooms in fats like oil may reduce vitamin D content.

Eggs

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Egg yolks provide another common source of vitamin D. The vitamin D content of eggs may be increased naturally by adding vitamin D to a hen’s diet or exposing egg yolks to UVB rays. Hens that are pasture-raised, and therefore exposed to more sunlight, also produce eggs with more vitamin D.

Vitamin D-Fortified Foods

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Dairy products and other foods are often fortified with vitamin D. However, this is not always the case. Check the ingredient panel to see if vitamin D is listed for these typically fortified foods:

  • Cow’s milk
  • Soy milk
  • Almond milk
  • Oat milk
  • Cheese
  • Yogurt
  • Breakfast cereals
  • Orange juice
  • Margarine

Many foods are fortified with vitamin D because relatively few foods naturally contain high amounts of it. Some clinicians argue that this is beneficial in preventing vitamin D deficiency and increasing the vitamin D intake in the general population, particularly among people with food allergies and those who follow vegan or vegetarian diets. 

Other Sources

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Other edible sources of vitamin D include:

How Much Vitamin D Should You Get Daily?

Vitamin D is an essential micronutrient that helps your body absorb calcium, protects the health of your bones and teeth, reduces inflammation, regulates blood sugar, and boosts your immune response. While your body can produce vitamin D with exposure to sunlight, this can also increase the risk of skin cancer. That’s why foods rich in vitamin D are an important part of a healthy diet.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the recommended daily intake of vitamin D is as follows (listed in both International Units and micrograms):

  • 0-12 months old: 10 mcg/400 IU
  • 1-13 years old: 15 mcg/600 IU
  • 14-18 years old: 15 mcg/600 IU
  • 19-70 years old: 15 mcg/600 IU
  • 71+ years old: 20 mcg/800 IU
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding: 15 mcg/600 IU

When to Take Vitamin D Supplements

Our bodies produce vitamin D in response to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. But in the U.S., many people don’t get enough vitamin D from sunlight, particularly because excessive amounts can lead to skin cancer.

If you think you may be at risk for vitamin D deficiency, your healthcare provider may recommend that you take a daily vitamin D supplement to lower your risk.

Vitamin D Supplements

If you are at risk for vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D supplements may help to prevent any complications. Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency include:

  • Spending a lot of time indoors
  • Living in a cold climate
  • Having dark skin
  • Being 65 years old or older
  • Eating a plant-based diet, such as a vegan or vegetarian diet
  • Allergies to foods that typically contain vitamin D
  • Having had gastric bypass surgery
  • Chronic kidney or liver disease
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Ulcerative colitis 
  • Celiac disease
  • Taking certain medications, such as anti-seizure and cholesterol-lowering medications

Am I Getting Enough Vitamin D From My Diet?

If left untreated, a deficiency in vitamin D can lead to a number of health complications. These include:

  • Rickets, a disorder that causes bone deformities in children
  • Osteoporosis, a condition caused by bone loss and reduced bone density
  • Osteomalacia, a “bone softening” disorder that primarily affects adults
  • Muscle spasms

Vitamin D deficiency typically doesn’t cause many symptoms at first. The main way to tell if you have a vitamin D deficiency is through a blood test from your healthcare provider.

Can You Get Too Much Vitamin D?

Some researchers have argued that eating fortified foods may lead to excessive vitamin D intake, known as vitamin D toxicity.

Signs of vitamin D toxicity include:

  • Dehydration
  • Vomiting
  • Reduced appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Confusion
  • Frequent urination
  • Constipation
  • Muscle weakness

Consuming too much vitamin D may also lead to hypercalcemia (very high levels of calcium in the blood). Over time, hypercalcemia may lead to complications such as:

  • Kidney failure
  • Disorientation
  • Arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. National Institutes of Health – Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D – fact sheet for health professionals.

  2. National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids: fact sheet for health professionals.

  3. Dominguez LJ, Farruggia M, Veronese N, Barbagallo M. Vitamin D sources, metabolism, and deficiency: available compounds and guidelines for its treatment. Metabolites. 2021;11(4):255. doi:10.3390/metabo11040255

  4. Cardwell G, Bornman JF, James AP, Black LJ. A review of mushrooms as a potential source of dietary vitamin D. Nutrients. 2018;10(10):1498. doi:10.3390/nu10101498. PMID: 30322118; PMCID: PMC6213178

  5. Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Mushrooms.

  6. Barnkob LL, Argyraki A, Jakobsen J. Naturally enhanced eggs as a source of vitamin D: a review. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 2020;102:62-70. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2020.05.018

  7. United States Department of Agriculture. Food sources of vitamin D.

  8. Benedik E. Sources of vitamin D for humans. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2022;92(2):118-125. doi:10.1024/0300-9831/a000733

  9. National Institutes of Health – Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D – fact sheet for consumers.

  10. MedlinePlus. Vitamin D.

  11. MedlinePlus. Vitamin D deficiency.

  12. Adebayo FA, Itkonen ST, Öhman T, et al. Safety of vitamin D food fortification and supplementation: evidence from randomized controlled trials and observational studies. Foods. 2021;10(12):3065. doi:10.3390/foods10123065

  13. Mount Sinai. Hypervitaminosis D.

Laura Dorwart

By Laura Dorwart

Dr. Dorwart has a Ph.D. from UC San Diego and is a health journalist interested in mental health, pregnancy, and disability rights.

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