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Ingredient guide

Foods high in vitamin K2

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

Natto, Japanese fermented soybeans, is by far the richest food source of vitamin K2, with about 850 mcg of MK-7 in 3 ounces. Meat, eggs and cheese give much smaller amounts of MK-4, from 1 to 13 mcg a serving. Leafy greens are rich in vitamin K1, not K2.1

Key facts

  • Food tables mostly list K1, because data on K2 in foods are limited.1
  • Bacteria in the large bowel make K2 as well.1
  • Chicken and pork contain MK-4 when the animals' feed includes menadione.1
  • The body absorbs only 4 to 17% as much K1 from spinach as from a tablet.1

Foods with the most K2

Vitamin K2 in foods, per serving1
Food and servingK2 in mcgForm
Natto, 3 ounces850MK-7
Chicken breast, rotisserie, 3 ounces13MK-4
Ground beef, broiled, 3 ounces6MK-4
Chicken liver, braised, 3 ounces6MK-4
Ham, roasted or pan broiled, 3 ounces4MK-4
Cheddar cheese, 1.5 ounces4MK-4
Egg, hard boiled, 1 large4MK-4
Mozzarella cheese, 1.5 ounces2MK-4
Milk, 2%, 1 cup1MK-4
Salmon, sockeye, cooked, 3 ounces0.3MK-4
Shrimp, cooked, 3 ounces0.3MK-4

Natto, a Japanese dish of fermented soybeans, is the richest food source of K2: 3 ounces has about 850 mcg of MK-7.1

Cheese and other fermented foods also contain menaquinones, but the forms and amounts vary with the bacteria used and how the food is fermented.1

Why K2 amounts vary

The K2 in animal foods depends on what the animal ate. Animals make MK-4 from menadione, a synthetic vitamin K added to some poultry and pig feed, so chicken and pork carry MK-4 when it is in the feed. In cheese and other fermented foods, the bacteria and the way the food is fermented decide the forms and amounts.1

Most figures in the table are for MK-4, because composition data for the longer menaquinones in food are scarce. Read them as rough guides rather than exact amounts.1

Vegan sources of K2

Natto is plant-based: it is soybeans fermented by bacteria, and it is the only food in NIH's list with a large amount of K2. Most other K2 foods are animal products. Plant foods supply plenty of K1, and the body turns some K1 into MK-4 by itself, without help from bacteria.1

Bacteria in the large bowel make menaquinones, and experts believe these meet at least part of the body's need for vitamin K.1,2

Foods with both K2 and vitamin D3

Vitamin D and vitamin K2 in the same foods, per serving1,3
Food and servingVitamin D in mcgVitamin K2 in mcg
Salmon, sockeye, cooked, 3 ounces14.20.3
Milk, 2%, fortified, 1 cup2.91
Egg, 1 large1.14
Cheddar cheese, 1.5 ounces0.44
Chicken breast, 3 ounces0.113

No common food is rich in both. Fatty fish carry plenty of vitamin D but little K2, while chicken carries K2 but almost no vitamin D. Eggs and cheese give a little of each. The two NIH tables differ slightly in how the food was cooked: the egg is scrambled for vitamin D and hard boiled for K2, and the chicken is roasted for one and rotisserie for the other.1,3

Getting vitamin K from food: fat helps

The body absorbs far less K1 from vegetables than from a tablet: only 4 to 17% as much from spinach. Eating vegetables with some fat helps, but absorption stays lower than from oils.1

In a study of five volunteers, blood K1 after spinach eaten with butter was about three times higher than after spinach alone, though still far below the level after a tablet.4

So a salad with dressing, or greens cooked with a little oil, gives you more of its vitamin K than plain greens. Limited research also suggests that long-chain K2 from food is absorbed better than K1 from green vegetables.1,4

If you take warfarin

Food counts, not only supplements. MedlinePlus advises people on warfarin to eat consistent amounts of vitamin K foods from week to week and not to eat large amounts of leafy greens or certain vegetable oils. Suddenly eating natto, or a large salad every day, is the kind of change to discuss with your doctor first.5,6

Questions people ask

Which vegetables have vitamin K2?

Almost none: vegetables are rich in vitamin K1. Natto, made from fermented soybeans, is the plant-based exception, and the body converts some K1 into MK-4 on its own.1

Does cheese have vitamin K2?

Yes, in small amounts. NIH lists 4 mcg of MK-4 in 1.5 ounces of cheddar and 2 mcg in the same amount of mozzarella, and fermented cheeses also contain other menaquinones that vary with the bacteria used.1

Is MK-7 found in ordinary Western foods?

NIH's food table gives MK-7 only for natto. Its meat, egg and dairy figures are for MK-4, and data on the longer menaquinones in everyday foods are limited.1

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Sources

  1. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin K: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated March 29, 2021. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. Vitamin K: Fact Sheet for Consumers. Updated March 22, 2021. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated June 27, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. Gijsbers BL, Jie KS, Vermeer C. Effect of food composition on vitamin K absorption in human volunteers. Br J Nutr. 1996;76(2):223-229. Opened 2026-10-07.
  5. Warfarin. MedlinePlus Drug Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Last revised March 15, 2026. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. Warfarin sodium tablets: prescribing information (Amneal Pharmaceuticals). DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Published June 3, 2026. Opened 2026-10-07.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.