Liquid vitamin D tastes like its carrier, because the vitamin itself has no taste at supplement doses. In MCT or fractionated coconut oil it tastes of nothing. In extra virgin olive oil it tastes like a small amount of good olive oil: mild, grassy, sometimes a little peppery at the back of the throat. Flavored drops taste of the flavoring and the sweetener used to carry it. None of them taste like medicine.
The short version:
- Vitamin D3 and K2 are tasteless at the microgram amounts in a dose.
- MCT-based drops: neutral, faintly oily, no flavor.
- Olive-oil-based drops: olive oil. Fruity to peppery depending on the oil.
- Flavored drops: citrus, berry or vanilla from added flavoring, with a sweetener behind it.
- If you would rather taste nothing, put the dropper in coffee, a shake or food.
DOES VITAMIN D HAVE A TASTE?
Not at the amounts in a supplement. A 2,000 IU dose of vitamin D3 is 50 micrograms, a speck. 100 micrograms of K2 as MK-7 is the same order of magnitude. Neither contributes anything you can taste in a milliliter of oil. Everything you taste in liquid vitamin D is the other 99% of the bottle: the carrier oil and anything added to it.
WHAT EACH TYPE OF LIQUID VITAMIN D TASTES LIKE
| Type | Taste | What's behind it |
|---|---|---|
| MCT or fractionated coconut oil base | Nothing. Slightly slick on the tongue. | A refined, fractionated oil with no flavor compounds left in it |
| Extra virgin olive oil base | Olive oil: grassy, fruity, a peppery catch at the back of the throat with a fresh oil | The oil's natural polyphenols. The pepperiness is oleocanthal, the same compound that makes a good olive oil tingle |
| Refined sunflower or soybean oil base | Faintly oily, sometimes stale if old | Refined seed oil; polyunsaturated fats oxidize faster |
| Flavored drops or sprays | Citrus, berry, vanilla, mint | Added natural or artificial flavors plus a sweetener such as stevia, xylitol or sucralose |
WHY DO SOME OLIVE OIL DROPS TASTE PEPPERY?
Because fresh extra virgin olive oil does. The catch at the back of the throat comes from oleocanthal, a polyphenol in olive oil, and its strength varies with the olive variety, harvest and freshness. It is the sign of a real, unrefined oil rather than something wrong with the bottle. Most people notice it on the first dropper and not after that; taken in coffee or food it does not register at all. The polyphenols that cause it are also part of why olive oil resists going rancid, which is one reason it makes a good carrier. We went into that in what's the best carrier oil for vitamin D.
WHY DO FLAVORED DROPS NEED A SWEETENER?
A flavoring on its own tastes thin, so manufacturers pair it with a sweetener to make it read as pleasant. In a water-based spray, there is also an emulsifier to keep the oil and water together and a preservative to keep the water from growing anything. None of that is harmful at these amounts; it is a longer ingredient list for the same vitamin D, and you take all of it 365 times a year. An oil-based liquid without flavoring does not need any of it.
HOW TO TAKE LIQUID VITAMIN D IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE TASTE
- In coffee or tea. One dropper disappears. Vitamin D with coffee covers why it works and why heat is not a problem.
- In a shake or smoothie. Blended in, there is nothing to taste. See vitamin D drops in food, smoothies and shakes.
- On food. Eggs, avocado toast, a salad, soup. Olive oil drops taste like olive oil, which is what you would have put on it anyway.
- On a spoon, then a sip of water. A second of taste and done.
- Under the tongue is not required. Vitamin D is absorbed in the gut with fat, not through the mouth, so there is no need to hold it there. Swallow and move on.
Liquid vitamin D tastes like what it's dissolved in. Pick the oil you'd be happy to eat, and you've picked the taste.
WHAT D3X TASTES LIKE
D3X Liquid Vitamin D3 + K2 tastes like organic extra virgin olive oil, because that is the only thing in the bottle besides the D3 and K2: no flavoring, no sweetener, no preservative. Straight from the dropper it is a small spoon of olive oil, fresh and lightly peppery. In coffee, a shake or on food it is not there. One 1 mL dropper a day, 2,000 IU of D3 and 100 mcg of K2 as MK-7, 30 servings in amber glass. If you are still choosing a liquid, our guide to liquid vitamin D3 + K2 drops covers the rest of the label.
Sources
Beauchamp GK, et al. "Ibuprofen-like activity in extra-virgin olive oil." Nature, 2005 (oleocanthal and the throat-catch sensation).
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. "Vitamin D: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals."
Dawson-Hughes B, et al. "Dietary fat increases vitamin D-3 absorption." Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2015.
About D3X. D3X makes one thing: a liquid vitamin D3 + K2 (2,000 IU D3 / 100 mcg K2 as MK-7) in an olive-oil base, third-party tested and made in the USA. No seed oils, fillers, or sweeteners. See the liquid vitamin D3 + K2 drops.
*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.
Frequently Asked
What does liquid vitamin D taste like?
Like its carrier oil. Vitamin D3 and K2 are tasteless at supplement doses. MCT-based drops taste of nothing, olive-oil-based drops taste like a little olive oil, and flavored drops taste of the added flavoring and sweetener.
Does vitamin D have a taste?
Not at the amounts in a supplement. A 2,000 IU dose is 50 micrograms, far too little to taste in a milliliter of oil. Everything you taste is the oil and anything added to it.
Why does my vitamin D oil taste peppery?
Fresh extra virgin olive oil contains oleocanthal, a polyphenol that produces a peppery catch at the back of the throat. It is a sign of a real, unrefined oil, not a problem with the product, and it does not register when the drops are taken in coffee or food.
How do you take liquid vitamin D if you don't like the taste?
Put the dropper in coffee, tea, a shake or smoothie, or on food like eggs or salad. Or take it on a spoon and follow with water. It does not need to be held under the tongue; vitamin D is absorbed in the gut with fat.
Why do flavored vitamin D drops contain sweetener?
A flavoring alone tastes thin, so manufacturers pair it with stevia, xylitol or sucralose. Water-based sprays also need an emulsifier and a preservative. An unflavored oil-based liquid needs none of these.
