Vegetable Sources of Vitamin D

Original Date of Publication: October 21, 2021

Original Author: Judy Blatman is OmegaQuant’s consumer health writer. Her blogs tee-up practical suggestions for health, with an emphasis on omega-3s and omega-3 testing, so readers can decide their own path to good health. Judy’s knowledge about dietary supplements developed during her 16 years spearheading communications for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, where she led an award-winning healthy lifestyle consumer education initiative focused on diet, dietary supplements and exercise. Learn more

Date of Review/Update: May 24, 2026

Reviewer: Stacy Cappadona MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS, TSAC-F 

Stacy Cappadona is OmegaQuant’s science writer and reviewer. She is a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics. Stacy has spent most of her career supporting the health and performance of United States military communities, applying evidence-based nutrition strategies to meet the demands of high-stress, high-performance environments. Learn more

 

 

You’ve likely heard of the importance of getting enough vitamin D. This essential vitamin ticks off many boxes when it comes to benefits. Working side by side with calcium, it’s best known for helping to build strong bones and healthy teeth. But, it does a lot more than that. Accumulating evidence has linked vitamin D to health benefits across the lifespan, from prenatal to end-of-life (1).

You also know that eating vegetables is key to a healthy diet. The smart folks at Harvard tell us that a diet rich in vegetables (and fruits) can do all sorts of good things: help prevent some types of cancer and reduce the risk of heart disease, support weight control, and even lower blood pressure.

So, you may be wondering—which vegetables have vitamin D? Why not kill two birds with one stone (so to speak)? You may be surprised to learn that most vegetables are not a good source of vitamin D – but let’s take a deeper look. Keep reading.

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Health Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D offers numerous health benefits. A 2025 review (1) highlights some of these benefits.

Cardiovascular support: Vitamin D is associated with protective effects against heart disease and can lower several risk factors like triglycerides and blood pressure.

Stroke: Studies show an inverse correlation between serum vitamin D and incidence of stroke.

Cancer prevention and survival: Growing evidence suggests that vitamin D can reduce the risk of some types of cancer incidence and mortality.

Immune support: Vitamin D supports immune function, and can help reduce hospitalization rates and improve infection outcomes.

Cognitive health: Vitamin D plays important roles in brain health, mood regulation, and neurological disorders.

Bone and oral health: This one you’re likely familiar with, but vitamin D is critical for calcium regulation and bone mineralization.

Pregnancy and birth outcomes: Vitamin D status is critical during pregnancy, decreasing risk for gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and pre-term birth, as well as influencing the skeletal development of the growing fetus.

With so many health benefits, it’s no wonder you want to make sure you’re meeting your vitamin D intake needs. So let’s get right to it. Which vegetables contain vitamin D?

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15 Vegetables: Which Ones Contain Vitamin D?

1. Are mushrooms high in vitamin D?

Mushrooms are the number one vegetable source for vitamin D. In fact, discounting fortified plant foods (like soy milk), mushrooms are really the only way to get your vitamin D from plants. While pretty much all mushrooms contain some vitamin D, it’s the ones that are exposed to UV-rays from sunlight or UVC light that have the richest amount (2).

What makes mushrooms different  from other plants? Well, mushrooms are part of the fungal kingdom, making them biologically different from plants—although they are often considered a vegetable from a culinary perspective (2). Because of this seemingly subtle difference, mushrooms have high concentrations of ergosterol (2). When exposed to UV radiation, ergosterol is transformed to vitamin D2.

2. Does spinach have vitamin D?

There’s no vitamin D in raw spinach. But you will find lots of fiber! And spinach is rich in other nutrients like calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, and more.

3. Does kale have vitamin D?

Not so much. In fact, not at all. But kale is a good source of vitamin K and plant-based calcium, both of which work well with vitamin D—and vice versa.

4. Do carrots have vitamin D?

They do not. But they are rich in vitamin A, especially beta-carotene, which is what gives the orange ones their color.

5. How much vitamin D in broccoli?

Trick question. There is no vitamin D in broccoli. But one cup contains as much vitamin C as an orange. Plus, broccoli has calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, folate, vitamins A, and K. It’s no wonder some consider it the superstar of vegetables.

6. Does cauliflower have vitamin D?

Cauliflower and broccoli are relatives, sharing the same species, family and genus. And just like broccoli, none of them, including cauliflower, have any vitamin D. But despite the lack of vitamin D, cauliflower is an extremely healthy veggie, with many of the same nutrients as broccoli.

7. Do beans have vitamin D?

Despite the fact that there are hundreds of different types of beans, none of them appear to have vitamin D. But beans are a healthy choice because they are high in fiber, protein, and folate. And yes, beans are really good for your heart.

8. Do tomatoes have vitamin D?

Not sure if a tomato is a vegetable or fruit? For the purposes of this blog, it doesn’t really matter, because whichever category you put it in, it doesn’t contain vitamin D. Tomatoes are filled with powerful antioxidants like beta-carotene (vitamin A), vitamins C and E, and lycopene.

9. Do sweet potatoes have vitamin D?

Sweet potatoes contain a whole host of nutrients, including fiber, manganese, vitamin A (beta-carotene), potassium, copper and more. But they don’t contain vitamin D—unless you eat them with butter which does naturally contain a small amount of vitamin D.

10. Do potatoes have vitamin D?

Potatoes are a great source of potassium, fiber, and vitamin C. And no, they do not have vitamin D.

11. Does garlic have vitamin D?

It does not. But garlic has garnered attention from the functional food industry for its diverse range of compounds that contain antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties (3).

12. Does celery have vitamin D?

Celery is a low-cal, low-carb vegetable often served with wings at sports bars or juiced at smoothie bars. It includes nutrients like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium—but no vitamin D.

13. Do peas have vitamin D?

Would it surprise you if we said no? However, they are a good source of beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and more. Did you know peas are in the bean family?

14. Do soybeans contain vitamin D?

There’s a reason why you might think they do. It’s because soy milk (which is made by soaking dry soybeans and grinding them with water) often contains vitamin D. Soybeans, themselves, however, do not contain vitamin D. But milks, both soy milk and nut milks, are often fortified with it.

15. Does lettuce have vitamin D?

Not a lick. So, let us move on.

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4 ways to get vitamin D

The fact is you really can’t rely on vegetables for your vitamin D. So, what can you rely on?

1. The sun. When your skin is exposed to sunlight, the ultraviolet rays cause your body to produce vitamin D. On the other hand, too much time in the direct sunlight may lead to skin cancer.
2. Food/Fortified Food. While there are some foods—like fatty fish , egg yolks, beef liver and fortified breakfast cereals, milk or orange juice—that are good sources for vitamin D, unless they’re regularly in your diet in sufficient quantities, you may not be getting enough of this important nutrient.
3. Dietary supplements. This is a fine option. Be mindful to follow label directions and buy from a reputable source.
4. Prescription medication. If you are especially low in vitamin D, your doctor may recommend a high dose and will likely follow up with regular blood tests to see how your vitamin D blood levels are impacted.

 

How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?

Unfortunately, there is not one “right” answer for everyone. This is because the number that you really need to pay attention to is your serum vitamin D levels, not how much you’re eating. This may sound a little confusing—but stick with me.

First, it’s possible that different blood vitamin D levels are needed to meet different goals. For example, a blood vitamin D concentration above 20ng/mL is enough to have healthy bones, but it might not be enough to provide cardiovascular benefits that you’re looking for (1). So, it’s important to understand your ultimate goals, and then identify the target vitamin D range to aim for.

However, if you’re unsure where to begin, a serum concentration level above 30ng/mL may be beneficial for health conditions beyond skeletal health (4). But, maintaining serum vitamin D concentrations between 40-80ng/mL may provide the most benefits (5). But work with your doctor to know what is best for your individual circumstances.

Second, the amount of daily vitamin D needed to keep serum concentration levels at target ranges can also vary from person to person. For example, two different people may need to consume different amounts of vitamin D to each reach a serum concentration of 40ng/mL. The amount of vitamin D each person will need to meet their optimal serum concentration level can depend on a lot of things—such as where they live, the color of their skin, their age and body weight, and their access and intake of foods that contain vitamin D. All of these things can influence vitamin D levels.

So if one person naturally gets a lot of sunlight, and regularly eats fatty fish, their baseline vitamin D levels may be relatively high. So maybe, they only need 500 IU/day of vitamin D to reach a serum concentration of 40ng/mL.

On the other hand, the other person may be older, live in a cold climate with little sunlight, and be vegetarian (eating few foods rich in vitamin D). This person would likely have lower baseline vitamin levels, and may need up to 2,000 IU/day to reach a serum concentration of 40ng/mL.

So, to determine your vitamin D intake needs, you need to be clear on your goals, be aware of any conditions you may have that increase your vitamin D needs, and know what your current serum concentrations are.

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Summary 

Aside from mushrooms, vegetables are not good sources of vitamin D. But fortunately, there are lots of other ways to meet your vitamin D needs, like exposure to sunlight, intake of foods that naturally contain or are fortified with vitamin D, as well as supplementation or medication from your doctor. To better understand your vitamin D needs, be sure to work with your doctor to determine your current vitamin D status, and adjust your intake as needed. You can also try our vitamin D calculator to get a better understanding of your unique needs.

 

References:

1. Grant WB, Wimalawansa SJ, Pludowski P, Cheng RZ. Vitamin D: Evidence-Based Health Benefits and Recommendations for Population Guidelines. Nutrients. 2025;17(2):277. Published 2025 Jan 14. doi:10.3390/nu17020277
2. 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. Published 2018 Oct 13. doi:10.3390/nu10101498
3. Sunanta P, Kontogiorgos V, Pankasemsuk T, et al. The nutritional value, bioactive availability and functional properties of garlic and its related products during processing. Front Nutr. 2023;10:1142784. Published 2023 Jul 25. doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1142784
4. Wimalawansa SJ. Non-musculoskeletal benefits of vitamin D. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2018;175:60-81. doi:10.1016/j.jsbmb.2016.09.016
5. Wimalawansa SJ. Physiology of Vitamin D-Focusing on Disease Prevention. Nutrients. 2024;16(11):1666. Published 2024 May 29. doi:10.3390/nu16111666