Foods High in Vitamin K2: Fermented Soybeans, Cheese, Poultry and Processed Meats

The foods high in vitamin K2 are natto, a fermented soybean food, then ripened cheeses, then poultry and processed meats such as pepperoni, frankfurters and sausage. The USDA SR Legacy food database reports one form of vitamin K2, menaquinone-4 (MK-4), for about 600 foods, and those values rank the first table. It has no field for the long-chain forms, MK-7 through MK-10, so the natto and cheese figures come from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) fact sheet and from peer-reviewed laboratory tables, quoted as printed.

Peptide Labs does not sell foods or medicines. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice. The values are database entries and averages from published papers, not a statement about any single food on your plate.

Vitamin K2 and where food databases stop

The ODS fact sheet divides vitamin K into phylloquinone, vitamin K1, which “is present primarily in green leafy vegetables and is the main dietary form of vitamin K,” and the menaquinones, vitamin K2, named MK-4 through MK-13 by side-chain length. ODS states that menaquinones are predominantly of bacterial origin, present in modest amounts in various animal-based foods and foods made by fermentation, and that MK-4 is the exception: the body makes it from phylloquinone without bacteria. Our vitamin K food list covers the K1 side.

We checked the April 2018 release of USDA SR Legacy: it carries an MK-4 value for 606 foods, 327 of them above zero, but no field for MK-7, MK-8 or MK-9. ODS lists phylloquinone in its own food table “except when otherwise indicated, because food composition data for menaquinones are limited.”

Foods high in vitamin K2 ranked: USDA MK-4 per serving

The table ranks foods by MK-4 per common serving from USDA SR Legacy, with the FDC entry number. ODS states that the FDA Daily Value for vitamin K is 120 micrograms for adults and children aged 4 and older, and that foods providing 20% or more of it are considered high sources. Pepperoni has the highest MK-4 per 100 grams in the USDA file, 41.7 micrograms, but a 1-ounce serving is small.

Poultry and processed meats: why MK-4 shows up there

Chicken leads the USDA list for a reason ODS spells out: “Animals synthesize MK-4 from menadione (a synthetic form of vitamin K that can be used in poultry and swine feed). Thus, poultry and pork products contain MK-4 if menadione is added to the animal feed.” See our chicken thighs, chicken wings and chicken breast guides.

Processed meats cluster next: USDA lists pepperoni at 41.7 micrograms per 100 grams, turkey breakfast sausage at 36.6, a grilled frankfurter at 35.6 and cooked salami at 28.0. A 2006 analysis by Elder and colleagues of 128 meat, 24 dairy and egg and 169 fast-food samples concluded that “no single food item in these categories is a rich dietary source of any one form of vitamin K.” See our pepperoni, salami, sausage, hot dogs and ham guides.

Vitamin K2 foods from the research: fermented soybeans and cheese

The second table collects long-chain values that USDA does not carry. The 2018 paper by Vermeer and colleagues in Nutrients prints nanograms per gram; the table shows the same figures as micrograms per 100 grams. The 2017 paper by Fu and colleagues in Current Developments in Nutrition reports total vitamin K, which in dairy is almost all menaquinones; the paper says MK-9, MK-10 and MK-11 account for about 90% of it.

Natto is in a class of its own: ODS lists 850 micrograms of MK-7 in 3 ounces, and the four research figures range from 775 to 998 micrograms per 100 grams. The USDA entry for natto shows only its phylloquinone, 23.1 micrograms per 100 grams, because the database has no MK-7 field. See our natto and nattokinase guides. In the 2018 paper, sauerkraut was the only other vegetable with measurable K2, at 55 nanograms per gram, 200-fold lower than natto. See our sauerkraut and fermented foods guides.

Cheese: ripening, fat and origin

The 2018 paper measured cheeses bought in the Netherlands in 2013 and concluded that “cheese and curd are the most important sources of long-chain menaquinones in the Western diet and, in general, hard cheeses are richer in menaquinones than soft cheeses.” Its Gouda rows rose with ripening, from 473 nanograms per gram at 4 weeks to 729 at 26 weeks, and lower-fat versions carried less; Parmesan came in at 3 nanograms per gram. See our gouda, camembert, brie, cheddar cheese, swiss cheese, blue cheese, parmesan and mozzarella guides.

The 2017 US paper by Fu and colleagues found a fat effect in American products: reduced-fat cheddar carried 49.0 micrograms of total vitamin K per 100 grams against 281 for full-fat, full-fat milk 38.1 against 19.4 for 2% milk, and reduced-fat or fat-free products held about 5% to 22% of the vitamin K of full-fat versions. See our milk and butter guides.

Why the vitamin K2 numbers disagree

The two papers differ by more than tenfold on the same cheese: cheddar measured 23.5 micrograms of total K2 per 100 grams in the 2018 Dutch paper and 281 micrograms of total vitamin K in the 2017 US paper. The Dutch authors write that their result “is in contrast to a recent study from the USA” and “demonstrates the necessity of having national databases,” while the US authors report MK-9 and MK-10 contents 5- to 10-fold higher than previously published and “do not currently have an explanation.” ODS gives the underlying reason: the forms and amounts in these foods “likely vary depending on the bacterial strains used to make the foods and their fermentation conditions.”

Funding and scope matter too. The 2018 paper was supported in part by the Dutch Dairy Organization, which the authors say had no influence, and its listed limitations include tables that are not exhaustive and foreign cheeses bought in Maastricht rather than in their countries of origin. The 2017 paper was funded by USDA agreements and the National Dairy Council and took fat content from labels.

Eggs, liver and foods with vitamin K2 that measured low

ODS lists one hard-boiled egg at 4 micrograms of MK-4, but the April 2018 USDA release carries no MK-4 value for whole eggs or salted butter, only phylloquinone, which is why they are missing from the first table. In the 2018 cheese paper, beef liver measured 112 nanograms per gram of total K2, chicken meat 101, far below cheese. See our egg, chicken liver and ground beef guides.

Natural sources of vitamin K2 and the anticoagulant note

This page lists natural sources of vitamin K2 in food. Supplements are a separate subject: ODS notes that they supply vitamin K2 as MK-4 or MK-7 and that one study found both phytonadione and MK-7 supplements well absorbed, with MK-7 having a longer half-life; our vitamin D3 and K2 guide covers the combination products. ODS also states that the Food and Nutrition Board set no upper intake level for vitamin K because of its low potential for toxicity.

One caution applies to every food here. ODS describes a “serious and potentially dangerous interaction” between warfarin and vitamin K, and states that people taking warfarin and similar anticoagulants “need to maintain a consistent intake of vitamin K from food and supplements because sudden changes in vitamin K intakes can increase or decrease the anticoagulant effect.” MedlinePlus puts it as eating consistent amounts of vitamin K-containing food week to week and talking to your doctor before changing your diet. If warfarin is among your medicines, talk to your clinician before adding natto or making a large change in cheese or poultry. The sister list covers foods high in sulforaphane.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines or are pregnant. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Foods High in Sulforaphane: Broccoli Sprouts, Broccoli and Other Brassicas, Vitamin D3 K2: Why They Are Paired, What Studies Show and Who Should Be Careful, Natto: USDA Nutrition, Vitamin K2, Warfarin and Soy Allergy Notes, Gouda: Nutrition, Smoked Gouda and What the Label Means.