In this article, I’ll share with you the best vegan vitamin D supplements currently available on the market.
They’re the ones that I, as a registered dietitian, would recommend to my vegan clients.
Read on to find out why vitamin D is so important and how much of it you truly need.
I’ll also aim to answer all of the questions you may have about vegan vitamin D and sprinkle in a few additional tips to help you easily meet your daily needs on a plant-based diet.
Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is actually a hormone that your skin can produce when exposed to the sun.
It plays several essential functions.
For one, it helps your body absorb calcium from your diet. It also helps maintain the optimal calcium and phosphorus balance that your body needs to build and maintain strong bones (1).
Vitamin D may also help reduce inflammation, promote muscle strength, maintain ideal blood sugar levels, and strengthen your immune system (1, 2).
Vitamin D could also contribute to your heart health, by lowering high blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol levels (2).
In addition, vitamin D appears to lower your risk of respiratory infections, and possibly reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections (2).
Research has also linked vitamin D to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disease, and dying from cancer. It may also help reduce the severity of eczema, irritable bowel disease (IBD), and depression (2, 3).
Finally, vitamin D may help improve fertility in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It also appears to protect against developing certain pregnancy complications (3).
Those are many functions for one little vitamin!
In sum: Vitamin D helps strengthen your bones. It may also improve muscle strength, boost your immune system, improve eczema, fight depression and protect you from various diseases including type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
Is vitamin D vegan?
Not all vitamin D is vegan. Whether it is or not depends on the source of the vitamin D.
Supplements and fortified foods can contain one of two forms of vitamin D:
Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol): this is a naturally occurring, plant-derived form of vitamin D.
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol): this form of vitamin D is naturally made when our skin is exposed to UV rays. It is also naturally present in mushrooms grown under sunlight or UV light and animal-based foods like fatty fish and egg yolks.
Both forms of vitamin D can also be made synthetically and added to supplements or foods.
Vitamin D2 is mostly made by exposing plant foods such as mushrooms or yeast to UV light.
Vitamin D3 is most typically extracted from animal by-products such as fish oil or the lanolin found in sheep wool. There is also a vegan vitamin D3 available on the market that is extracted from lichens.
What is the difference between vegan D3 and regular D3?
The difference between vegan D3 and regular D3 is the source it is extracted from.
Most vitamin D3 is extracted from sheep’s wool or fish oil. Vegan vitamin D3 is typically extracted from lichens.
The only way to know whether the vitamin D3 found in a supplement or fortified food is vegan-friendly is to check the ingredients label.
Unless it’s specified that the vitamin D3 is derived from lichen, it’s safe to assume it was derived from animals, and thus, not vegan-friendly.
In sum: Most forms of vitamin D aren’t vegan. Vitamin D2 and lichen-derived vitamin D3 are both vegan.
Should vegans take D2 or D3?
Both vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 are well-absorbed and both are able to raise blood levels of vitamin D.
Recent research suggests that D3 increases blood vitamin D levels more easily and maintains these levels for longer than vitamin D2. Vitamin D3 may be especially superior to vitamin D2 when taken in large doses (1, 4).
That said, the same study suggests that the difference in the effects of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 may be very very small in people who are overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2) or have low blood vitamin D levels (< 50 nmol/L)(5).
There also appears to be a smaller difference between vitamin D2 and D3 when supplements are taken on a daily, rather than a weekly basis (5).
Based on these studies, it seems that vegan vitamin D3 supplements may be slightly superior to vitamin D2 supplements. They may be especially beneficial for people who are having a difficult time raising their vitamin D levels with large doses of vitamin D2.
That said, most vegans should be able to maintain proper vitamin D levels when taking a vitamin D2 supplement as well. Especially if they’re taking supplements on a daily or weekly basis rather than larger doses on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.
Is vegan vitamin D3 effective?
There are currently no studies that compare vegan vitamin D3 to non-vegan vitamin D3.
That said, cholecalciferol, whether vegan or not, has the same chemical composition. Because vegan and non-vegan vitamin D3 are chemically identical, one can be expected to be just as effective as the other.
In sum: In certain instances, vegans may benefit from taking vitamin D3 over vitamin D2. However, in most cases, both types of vitamin D are equally effective. Vegan vitamin D3 is also considered to be just as effective as non-vegan vitamin D3.
How much vitamin D do I need?
Here are the North-American daily recommended intakes for vitamin D, according to your age (1):
Age
Amount of vitamin D
0-12 months
10 mcg (400 IU)
1-13 years
15 mcg (600 IU)
14-18 years
15 mcg (600 IU)
19-50 years
15 mcg (600 IU)
51-70 years
15 mcg (600 IU)
> 70 years
20 mcg (800 IU)
Keep in mind that the recommended intakes can vary based on where you live.
Low blood vitamin D levels may cause the following symptoms (1):
Bone or joint pain
Muscle aches or pain
Weak bones
Muscle twitching
Fatigue
Weakness
A vitamin D deficiency in children may result in irritability, lack of energy, developmental delays, and fractures.
Low vitamin D levels are quite common, especially in the fall and winter months. So if you suspect you have low vitamin D levels, consider getting your blood levels tested.
What blood vitamin D levels are good?
Total serum 25(OH)D levels equal to or above 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L) are generally considered adequate.
Levels between 12-20 ng/mL (30-50 nmol/L) are considered inadequate, and levels below 12 ng/mL (<30 nmol/L) indicate a vitamin D deficiency (1).
Keep in mind that these cutoffs tend to vary across organizations. In fact, some suggests that any level below 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) should be considered insufficient (2).
In addition, some experts argue that the vitamin D levels that are considered adequate should vary based on the target health benefit at hand.
For instance, levels above 30 ng/mL may be sufficient for ideal muscle and bone health. However, values in the range of 30-50 ng/mL (75-125 nmol/L) may be necessary for optimal immune health (2).
Who is at most risk of vitamin D deficiency?
People at highest risk of vitamin D deficiency include exclusively breastfed babies, people with limited sun exposure or dark skin, and older adults.
People with obesity, who have undergone gastric bypass surgery, or with medical conditions that limit fat absorption may also be at increased risk (1).
Am I taking too much vitamin D?
Excess vitamin D can be toxic.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. This means that excess levels tend to accumulate in the fatty tissues in your body, rather than be excreted through your urine in the way that water-soluble vitamins can.
So taking more vitamin D than you need can cause havoc on your health.
For instance, too much vitamin D can cause your body to absorb too much calcium from your gut.
This can cause your blood calcium levels to rise too much, in turn, causing nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, brain disturbances, kidney stones, and muscle weakness (1).
In extreme cases, too much vitamin D in the body can cause an irregular heart beat, hardened blood vessels and arteries, kidney failure, and in some cases, even premature death (1).
Here are the current North-American tolerable upper level of vitamin D intake per day, according to age (1):
Age
Upper level (UL) for vitamin D
0-6 months
25 mcg (1,000 IU)
7-12 months
38 mcg (1,500 IU)
1-3 years
63 mcg (2,500 IU)
4-8 years
75 mcg (3,000 IU)
19-50 years
15 mcg (600 IU)
9-18+ years
100 mcg (4,000 IU)
Keep in mind that, just as was the case with the recommended daily intakes, the safe upper level can vary depending on where you live. So it’s best to check your country’s specific guidelines, if they have any.
In sum: The recommended amount of vitamin D you should take on a daily basis will depend on your age, and your country’s specific guidelines. Taking too much vitamin D can be toxic, so there is an upper limit to how much you should supplement.
Can I get enough vitamin D from the sun?
Whether your body is able to produce enough vitamin D from sun exposure alone will depend on several factors.
For instance, older individuals or people with darker skin tones may find it difficult to make enough vitamin D from simply exposing their skin to the sun.
The same can be said of people who live more than 35 degrees above or below the equator or who need to cover most of their skin due to living in colder climates (6).
The season, the length and time of day, amount of cloudiness, air pollution, and the use of sunscreen are a few other factors that can affect the amount of vitamin D your body can make (1, 6).
How much vitamin D do you get from the sun in 15 minutes?
This can vary greatly from person to person.
In one study, it took Swiss adults 22-40 years of age an average of 10-15 minutes to make 25 mcg (1,000 IU) of vitamin D when 22% of their skin was exposed to the spring or summer sun.
However, this will likely take much longer in the fall or winter, considering that the sun tends to be less strong, and that a larger percentage of the skin tends to be covered.
Accordingly, the study’s authors estimate that it could take up to 6.5 hours of sun exposure for the skin to produce the same amount of vitamin D when 8-10% of the skin is exposed to the fall or winter sun (7).
Keep in mind that the time it will take for your skin to produce enough vitamin D will depend on many factors, including, your age, the darkness of your skin, and the amount of clouds, and the latitude you live at (1, 6).
Generally speaking, exposing the face, arms, hands and feet to the spring and summer sun for 5-30 minutes, between 10 am and 4 pm, at least twice per week, without sunscreen should help your body make the amount of vitamin D you need.
It’s important to also weigh the pros of vitamin D production, against the risks associated with getting a sunburn.
It may be achievable for your skin to make enough vitamin D before burning during the spring and summer. However, the risk of getting a sunburn before your body has the time to make enough vitamin D is much higher in the fall or winter (7).
This is why most experts recommend taking a vitamin D supplement in the fall and winter months (1).
In sum: In general, exposing around a fifth of your total skin’s surface to the mid-day sun for ± 15 minutes should allow it to produce enough vitamin D. Depending on where you live, supplements may be necessary in the fall and winter.
Vegan foods rich in vitamin D
Not many foods are naturally rich in vitamin D.
Mushrooms grown under UV light are the only natural vegan source of vitamin D. However, most mushrooms aren’t grown this way, and thus contain very little vitamin D.
Vitamin D can also be added to certain plant foods. Vegan foods typically fortified with vitamin D include:
Plant milks
Plant yogurts
Breakfast cereals
Orange juice
Margarine
Tofu
Nutritional yeast
The only way to check whether a food has been fortified with vitamin D is to take a look at its nutritional label. The ones that are fortified will list either vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 in their ingredients.
Remember that most vitamin D3 is derived from animals. Foods that are fortified with a vegan-friendly form of vitamin D3 will specify its origin on the label.
In sum: Mushrooms exposed to sunlight and fortified foods are the only vegan foods rich in vitamin D. Some foods are fortified with animal-derived vitamin D, so make sure to check the label before making a purchase.
Best vegan vitamin D supplements
Experts agree that most people – whether vegan or not – would benefit from taking a vitamin D supplement. This can be taken year-round, but is even more so important during the winter months, if you live above or below 35 degrees of latitude (1, 2).
Here is a list of my current go-to vegan vitamin D supplements:
Viridian vegan vitamin D3: this brand offers a wide array of vegan vitamin D3 options, from sprays, to drops, to capsules. They also offer various dosages, including child-friendly ones.
Vegetology vegan vitamin D3 (formerly known as vitashine): this brand offers vegan vitamin D3 in pill or spray form in two dosages; 25 mcg (1,000 IU) or 62.5 mcg (2,500 IU).
If you wish to reduce the amount of supplements you take each day, you can also consider taking a vegan multivitamin containing at least 15 mcg (600 IU) of vitamin D.
Why do I prefer these brands over others?
Each of these supplements is third-party tested, which is a big plus for me.
This means that an independent lab has certified that the supplement is free of contaminants, and that the amount of vitamin D that’s on the label is actually the amount found in the bottle.
Unlike medication, supplements aren’t tightly regulated. This means that what’s listed on the label can vary, sometimes greatly, from what’s actually in the bottle.
Sometimes, supplements can become unknowingly tainted with harmful compounds such as lead (8, 9).
Independent third-party testing helps minimize these risks.
Keep in mind that third-party testing is not mandatory. Supplement brands that partake in third-party testing mention this directly on their website. I strongly suggest you opt for brands that do whenever taking a supplement.
In addition to third-party testing, each of the brands I’ve recommended above provide vitamin D in dosages that stay well below the upper safety limit of 100 mcg (4,000 IU) per day (1).
This helps reduce your risk of experiencing vitamin D toxicity.
In sum: These are a few of the best vegan vitamin D3 supplements I currently recommend. Whenever picking a vegan vitamin D3, try finding one that is third-party tested, and stay away from superdoses.
To sum it all up
Vitamin D is something that many people, whether vegan or not, struggle getting enough of from their diet alone.
There are few vegan foods that are rich in vitamin D, and it’s not always possible or safe to get enough vitamin D from sun exposure alone.
For these reasons, vegan vitamin D supplements are well-worth taking, especially in the fall and winter months.
In this article, I’ve shared what I consider to be some of the best vegan vitamin D supplements available on the market today.
That said, new brands of supplements are also constantly popping up. Things may also change from the date I published this article to when you come across it.
If you come across a vegan vitamin D supplement that’s not currently listed in this article, make sure it’s third-party tested and offers a daily dosage close to the recommended amounts listed in this article.
If it passes this 2-step check, then you’re likely good to go.
Feel free to leave your go-to vegan vitamin D supplement recommendations below, so that readers looking for suggestions can benefit from them as well.
This blog is a fantastic resource for anyone looking for the best vegan Vitamin D supplements! The expert recommendations make it easy to choose high-quality, plant-based options for optimal health. Great read!
This blog is a trustworthy guide to the best vegan vitamin D supplements, backed by a dietitian’s expertise. It’s clear, informative, and perfect for anyone on a plant-based diet.
This blog is a fantastic resource for anyone looking for the best vegan Vitamin D supplements! The expert recommendations make it easy to choose high-quality, plant-based options for optimal health. Great read!
This blog is a trustworthy guide to the best vegan vitamin D supplements, backed by a dietitian’s expertise. It’s clear, informative, and perfect for anyone on a plant-based diet.