Shari Hussenbocus RDN, CDE
If you or a loved one are taking warfarin, the holiday festivities may be a source of added stress especially if you’re in charge of the holiday menu. Scouring the net for holiday recipes aren’t much help unfortunately – it’s quite hard to find recipes that list the vitamin K content per serving. But the good news is: we’ve got you covered!
We spent days scouring the web to find the best holiday recipes from the hippest blogs out there.
You’ll notice that some of the recipes call for certain foods like celery, clove, garlic, ginger, and parsley – while you may have been advised to steer clear from these foods, they are usually safe if they are used in small amounts in cooking or as a seasoning 1.
So don’t worry; we’ve done all the vitamin-K-counting and recipe modification for you so you can just sit back and enjoy your well-deserved break.
And guess what? These recipes are:
- gluten-free
- heart-friendly
- healthy
- easy to prepare
Most importantly, absolutely scrumptious and a surefire way to impress your guests.
So, go ahead, and have a look at the various main meal, snack and treat recipes we have in store for you.
Filter The Recipes
By Meal Type
By Max Vitamin K
1. Cherrilicious Almonds
Food Type: Snack
Total Vitamin K: 10.32µg (1/4 of recipe)
Description: Looking to make a dessert that looks fancy but can be prepped in a jiffy? Look no further – these scrumptious chocolate covered almonds and cherries will be the hit of your party.
Get the recipe here: Gluten Free Homemaker
2. Scrumptious Pumpkin Muffins
Food Type: Breakfast
Total Vitamin K: 0.36µg (1 muffin)
Description: Don’t know what to serve your guests for breakfast or an afternoon snack? Try these pumpkin muffins – they’re not only yummy but healthy and very satisfying. For a sweeter version, add some more raw honey or coconut sugar.
Get the recipe here: Gluten Free Homemaker
3. Festive Salmon Cakes
Food Type: Appetizer
Total Vitamin K: 15.95µg per serving (IF PARSLEY IS OMMITTED) (makes 4 cakes)
Description: Looking for a healthy entrée that’s not boring? These crispy little salmon cakes will do the trick – just make sure to omit the parsley if you’re taking warfarin. If you don’t want to, reduce the parsley to 1/8 cup for a total of 47µg of vitamin K per salmon cake.
Get the recipe here: Pamela's Gluten Free Recipes
4. Butternut Squash and Jicama Hash on a bed of lettuce
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 15.67µg (IF BRUSSELS SPROUTS ARE OMMITTED and Iceberg lettuce is used instead)
Description: The flavors, texture and colors in this dish are simply incredible! Just make sure to omit the Brussels sprouts if you’re taking warfarin. You could serve the squash and jicama on a bed of iceberg lettuce or if you’re craving for Brussels sprouts, use only 1 cup for the whole recipe – this should give you a total of 30µg per serving. This goes amazingly well with some beef sirloin steak.
Get the recipe here: The Healthy Foodie
5. Bell-Pepper Stuffed Beef Tenderloin
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 19.98µg (IF SPINACH IS OMMITTED and chinese cabbage is used instead).
Description: You think this looks amazing? Wait until you take one bite to your lips – you’ll be transported to dreamland. To keep the vitamin K in this dish below 20µg per serving, use 1 cup of organic, shredded Chinese cabbage (pak choi) instead.
Get the recipe here: Becomingness
6. Roast Turkey Roll with Cranberry Stuffing
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 18.06µg per serving (serves 6; 1kg turkey)
Description: Do you know what would be a great side dish for these turkey rolls? Zucchini ribbons sautéed in a little bit of grass-fed butter.
Get the recipe here: The Holistic Ingredient
7. Standing Rib Roast
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 4.76µg
Description: This centerpiece roast will be the bomb at any holiday party —and this no-fail, no-stress scrumptious recipe will make it easy to get on the table.
Get the recipe here: Primal Palate
8. Crunchy Cashew Caramel Chew
Food Type: Breakfast, Snack
Total Vitamin K: 17.69µg per serving (Serves 6)
Description: This absolutely delicious and healthy sweet treat uses real ingredients and with its crunchy texture, this caramel chew is the perfect holiday breakfast or snack for kids and adults alike.
Get the recipe here: The Holistic Ingredient
9. Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 5.74µg per serving (serves 2)
Description: How does bringing quinoa to a whole new level sound? I guarantee this lovely recipe will become one of your favorite ways to serve quinoa.
Get the recipe here: Becomingness
10. Deviled Eggs
Food Type: Appetizer
Total Vitamin K: 1.56µg
Description: Some people say that holidays can’t be called holidays if there are no deviled eggs. So here you go – these pretty little things are sure to jazz up your table (and taste buds)!
Get the recipe here: A Girl Worth Saving
11. Gingerbread Men
Food Type: Snack
Total Vitamin K: 0.18µg
Description: This is not your conventional gingerbread men recipe but don’t worry – the amazing chewiness of these cookies will leave your guests reaching for more.
Get the recipe here: Primal Palate
12. Rosemary-Skewered Scallops
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 8.06µg
Description: These scallops look like something you’d only be able to order in a high-end restaurant but can be prepared in only 15 minutes. Serve these as an appetizer with a classic steak and salad or as a main course with some grilled veggies and a hummus dip.
Get the recipe here: Paleo Leap
13. Raw Chocoberry Slice
Food Type: Snack
Total Vitamin K: 1.3µg
Description: If you feel a meal isn’t complete until you’ve had some chocolate, this super easy chocoberry slice is just what you need. Plus it will add some extra festivity to the table!
Get the recipe here: Becomingness
14. Dark Choco-Coco Butter Cups
Food Type: Snack, Dessert
Total Vitamin K: 4.76µg per serving (recipe makes 6 large cups)
Description: To make these choco cups even yummier (and prettier), roughly chop some macadamia nuts and cherries and mix them in the melted chocolate. Note: the picture to the right was not made by the recipe author. It was found using good old flicker copyright free search.
Get the recipe here: Stupid Easy Paleo
15. Holiday Bam Bam Shrimps
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 18.92µg
Description: These spicy shrimps can be served as an appetizer (about 1-2oz shrimps per guest) or as a main course. To really bring out the flavor of the shrimps, use grass-fed butter and quality sriracha sauce. Serve with some iceberg lettuce to add a touch of green.
Get the recipe here: Bravo for Paleo
16. Fried Green Plantains with Shrimp Ceviche
Food Type: Appetizer
Total Vitamin K: 24.08µg
Description: To make this appetizer burst with extra Carribean flavor, use a cup of grass-fed butter instead of 2 quarts of peanut oil, 1 ½ avocado and 1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped very finely.
Get the recipe here: Emeril
17. Cauliflower and Broccoli Butterfly Bread
Food Type: Breakfast
Total Vitamin K: 26.78µg per serving (makes 8 servings - not 7. To keep the vitamin K content of this dish below 30µg, use only half a head of cauliflower and swap the spinach for 1 cup of finely chopped broccoli. Use pecans instead of other nuts and increase the number of whole eggs to 8 for a heartier breakfast. You can also add 1 cup (100g) of parmesan to the beaten eggs for some extra flavor.
Description: Yum!
Get the recipe here: Going Cavewoman
18. Lemon Garlic Chicken Kabobs
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 26.17µg. To keep the vitamin K content of this dish below 30µg, use a total of 2/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil and, instead of parsley, try rosemary. Serve on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce.
Description: With this dish, you'll feel like you're on the streets of New York City.
Get the recipe here: One Perfect Bite
19. Rosemary Roasted Turkey with Kale
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 26.94µg (per serving - makes 8 servings). to keep the vitamin K content of this dish below 30µg, use 1 ¾ cups of kale and 2 tablespoons of butter. Otherwise, you could try the caramelized fennel and onions recipe.
Description: The holidays wouldn’t be the same without some roasted turkey right? This recipe goes really well with some kale sautéed in grass-fed butter.
Get the recipe here: Primal Palate
20. Caramelized Fennel and Onions
Food Type: Side Dish
Total Vitamin K: 25.83µg per serving (makes 6 servings). To keep the vitamin K content of this dish below 30µg, use grass-fed butter instead of olive oil and use only one fennel bulb.
Description: This dish adds some extra zing to holiday roasts!
Get the recipe here: Everyday Maven
21. Salmon and Courgette Fritters
Food Type: Appetizer
Total Vitamin K: 27.01µg. To keep the vitamin K content of this dish below 30µg, you’d want to use no more than 1 ½ spring onion.
Description: Wondering what courgette is? Well, it’s just French for ‘zucchini’. You could use butter instead of coconut oil to boost the flavor of this recipe which yields 4 servings (2 fritters/serving).
Get the recipe here: Paleo Diet and Fitness
22. Holiday Stuffing Hushpuppies
Food Type: Appetizer
Total Vitamin K: 25.62µg (for 6 hushpuppies).
Description: Can’t eat flour or corn (or both)? Don’t worry; you can still enjoy hushpuppies – well, this version anyway. This recipe yields about 30 balls – to keep the vitamin K of this dish below 30µg, eat no more than 6 hushpuppies.
Get the recipe here: Health Bent
23. Ten Minute Verde Chicken Soup
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 24.86µg. To keep the vitamin K of this dish below 30µg per serving, divide 1 avocado, 1/4 cup of cilantro and 5 tablespoons of cultured sour cream between the 5 servings.
Description: In ten minutes I can watch ten minutes of television. But now, I can also make Verde Chicken Soup.
Get the recipe here: Health Bent
24. Broccoli, Cheddar, Rice Meatballs
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 31.66µg
Description: To make these meatballs more filling, add an extra cup of broccoli. You can always prepare a big batch in advance, arrange them on a tray making sure they don’t touch each other and freeze them. Once they’re completely frozen, transfer them in a zip-lock bag.
Get the recipe here: Health Bent
25. Sweet Potato Bisque
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 29.20µg
Description: This super creamy and hearty soup will keep you warm during the holidays. To boost the flavor of this dish, use grass-fed butter instead of coconut oil.
Get the recipe here: What Great Grandma Ate
26. Parsnip Fries
Food Type: Side Dish
Total Vitamin K: 29.23µg (7 servings/recipe). To keep the vitamin K of this dish below 30µg per serving, you can use only 1 parsnip to prepare 4 servings or use 2 parsnips but divide the fries into 7 servings.
Description: A sophisticated version of the childhood treat that we all once upon time called lunch ;).
Get the recipe here: Everyday Maven
27. Roasted Fennel Mashed Faux-tatoes
Food Type: Side Dish
Total Vitamin K: 25.42µg. Don’t get carried away – this recipe yields 15 servings, each of which contains about 25µg of vitamin K.
Description: Not a cauliflower fan? Forget all your past experiences with the mighty cauliflower and try this recipe. Every spoonful will amaze you!
Get the recipe here: Health Bent
28. Beef Liver with Parsley-Onions and Lemons
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 27.71µg. Parsley is very high in vitamin K – to keep the vitamin K content per serving below 30µg, use no more than 1 1/2 tablespoons of parsley for the entire recipe.
Description: THe holidays wouldn't be the holidays without this dish.
Get the recipe here: Wellfed Ingredients for a Happy Life
29. Plantain Nachos
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 28.7µg. To garnish all the nachos, you may use 2 small jalapeno peppers, 1 whole avocado, 1 small scallion, 2 tomatoes and 2 cups of shredded lettuce. This will keep the total vitamin K content per serving below 30µg.
Description: Nachos are messy, salty, slightly sweet, crispy, savory and amazing. You won't miss a beat with this healthy version of the treat.
Get the recipe here: Wellfed Ingredients for a Happy Life
30. Crispy Spiced Chicken Livers
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 24.17µg. Parsley is very high in vitamin K – to keep the vitamin K content per serving below 30µg, use no more than 1 1/2 tablespoons of parsley for the entire recipe.
Description: Chicken is good, but crispy chicken is even better.
Get the recipe here: Wellfed Ingredients for a Happy Life
31. Chocolate Chili
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 24.63µg
Description: Spicy but not hot, this chocolate chili will add some extra festivity to the holiday season.
Get the recipe here: Wellfed Ingredients for a Happy Life
32. Golden Cauliflower Soup
Food Type: Side Dish
Total Vitamin K: 29.31µg. To keep your vitamin K intake below 30µg per serving, consume no more than 1/8 of the soup in one sitting. You can garnish with some rosemary if you want.
Description: I love cauliflower, so you can imagine how surprised I was when you could eat this in soup form.
Get the recipe here: Wellfed Ingredients for a Happy Life
33. Low Carb Chocolate Pecan Pie
Food Type: Dessert
Total Vitamin K: 2.98µg
Description: Looking for a pecan pie that’s absolutely delicious and won’t wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels? This low-carb pie will impress you!
Get the recipe here: Healthful Pursuit
34. Creamy Avocado Yogurt Dip
Food Type: Appetizer
Total Vitamin K: 24.61µg
Description: Great for parties, this avocado dip goes amazingly well with plantain chips, veggie sticks or kebabs. To make this dip even healthier, use full fat Greek yogurt instead of low fat versions.
Get the recipe here: Two Peas and Their Pod
35. Layered Green Smoothie
Food Type: Breakfast
Total Vitamin K: 29.8µg. To keep the vitamin K below 30µg per serving, use only 2 bananas, ¼ cup of kale and 1 cup of iceberg lettuce. Omit the spinach and parsley.
Description: I'm a big fan of smoothies for breakfast. Going raw in the morning will help your digestive system and keep you fresh for the day. This smoothie makes it easy since its delicious.
Get the recipe here: Raw Blend
36. Healthy Caramel Pear Nachos
Food Type: Dessert
Total Vitamin K: 23.83µg. This recipe serves 6 and provides 11.70µg of vitamin K per serving if you use pears. Adding 1 cup of pine nuts will give you 23.80µg of vitamin K per serving.
Description: Nachos. But dessert? I'm in.
Get the recipe here: Annmarie Gianni
37. Farmer's Wife Breakfast
Food Type: Breakfast
Total Vitamin K: 29.98µg. To keep the vitamin K below 30µg per serving, use only 1/4 avocado, 1/2 cup of arugula, 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of sauerkraut for your salad.
Description: Part of a way to rebalance your hormones.
Get the recipe here: Annmarie Gianni
38. Chocolate Cherry Treat
Food Type: Breakfast, Dessert
Total Vitamin K: 29.23µg. To keep the vitamin K below 30µg per serving, use only 1/2 cup of hazelnuts, 1/2 cup of cherries and 1/2 cup of cherries.
Description: I would eat this on its own with no intention of improving my health, but this meal is part of a way to rebalance horomones
Get the recipe here: Annmarie Gianni
39. Roasted Leg of Lamb with Blackberry Chutney
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 23.84µg
Description: A simple and delicious roast recipe just in time for the festive season. This fancy (yet easy to prepare) main dish will impress all your guests!
Get the recipe here: Jessi's Kitchen
40. Green Bean Casserole
Food Type: Side Dish
Total Vitamin K: below 30 µg (to keep the vitamin K below 30µg per serving, use only 1.25lb of green snap beans.)
Description: I'll list a few ingredients: coconut milk, coconut oil, arrowroot powder and chicken broth. Sold? I am.
Get the recipe here: Holistically Engineered
41. Asian Lettuce Wraps
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 29.48µg per serving. This recipe makes 4 servings. To keep the vitamin K below 30µg per serving, use only 2 inner leaves of Romaine lettuce per serving.
Description: One of the healthiest things you can do is to replace wraps with lettuce. With this recipe that sacrifice will become an addiction.
Get the recipe here: Holistically Engineered
42. Peach Balsamic Rosemary Chicken
Food Type: Lunch / Dinner
Total Vitamin K: 24.78µg. This dish serves 8 – each serving contains 7.38µg of vitamin K. Serving the chicken with 1 cup of shredded iceberg lettuce per serving will increase the vitamin K to 24.78µg.
Description: Peaches are delcious. Combine that with chicken thighs and some rosemary, and it's practically disney magic.
Get the recipe here: My Natural Family
43. Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese
Food Type: Side Dish
Total Vitamin K: less than 30µg (To keep the vitamin K below 30µg per serving, use only half a head of cauliflower for 4 servings.)
Description: This author used magic and created a cheese sauce from: butter, onion, coconut milk, squash, carrot, onion, garlic powder, mustard, egg yolk, salt and pepper. Are you as curious as you are hungry?
Get the recipe here: My Natural Family
44. Figgy Pudding – A Traditional Holiday Green Smoothie
Food Type: Breakfast
Total Vitamin K: 25.2µg. To keep your vitamin K below 30µg per serving, use 6 inner leaves of Romaine lettuce and 4 figs for the whole recipe.
Description: Figs are delicious. If you've ever tried them raw, you'll understand that it's like a sophisticated prune, less tart, chewier, with an explosion of texture from the delicious seeds within. This recipe harnesses the best of figs.
Get the recipe here: Simple Green Smoothies
45. Orange Gingerbread Smoothie
Food Type: Breakfast
Total Vitamin K: 28.2µg (To keep your vitamin K below 30µg per serving, use only ¼ cup of kale.)
Description: Orange and gingerbread? I know what you're thinking, but reverse that. You'll thank me.
Get the recipe here: Green Blender
46. Baked Egg in Avocado
Food Type: Breakfast
Total Vitamin K: 42.5µg
Description: Impress your guests with these clever avocado baked eggs at your next brunch or dinner party.
Get the recipe here: Bravo for Paleo
47. The Best Cauliflower Mash Ever
Food Type: Side Dish
Total Vitamin K: 49.93µg (per serving. Recipe make 12 servings). To make sure you don’t get more than 50µg of vitamin K, divide the dish in 12 and eat only 1 serving.
Description: Do you know what would go incredibly well with this cauliflower mash? A meatball stew! Forget the mashed potatoes – this fluffy cauliflower will impress all your guests.
Get the recipe here: The Healthy Foodie
48. Creamy Parmesan Broccoli and Mushrooms
Food Type: Side Dish
Total Vitamin K: 44.96µg (when using broccoli not spinach)
Description: To decrease the vitamin K content of this dish, use broccoli instead of spinach. Steam the broccoli while the mushrooms are cooking – you may not add the broccoli in your food processor if you want to keep the texture. Combine the mushrooms and the broccoli in the baking dish before pouring the cheese sauce.
Get the recipe here: Seasonal and Savory
49. Sort of a Kale Caesar
Food Type: Side Dish
Total Vitamin K: 47.18µg. To keep the vitamin K content of this salad below 50µg per serving, use no more than 2 cups of kale for the entire recipe which yields six servings. Otherwise, you could use 1 ½ cup of kale plus 4 cups of iceberg lettuce to ‘fluff’ your salad.
Description: Creamy, salty ceasar dressing that holds well onto some bitter leaves. Please tell me. What's better?
Get the recipe here: Everyday Maven
50. Garlic-Rubbed Roasted Cabbage Steaks
Food Type: Side Dish
Total Vitamin K: 46.45µg. You have two options if you want to keep the vitamin K content of these ‘steaks’ below 50µg per serving. Either consider one serving to be one eighth (1/8) of this recipe or simply use red cabbage instead of a green one. And please don’t use oil sprays – grease your baking dish using a brush and some grass-fed butter or coconut oil.
Description: The great thing about cabbage is that it's "meaty". Roasting it creates incredible texture. You get salty, cripsy, soft and chewy.
Get the recipe here: Everyday Maven
Conclusion
If any of the recipes call for herbs or ingredients you never had before, talk with your doctor or dietitian before trying them. Otherwise use INRTracker's vitamin k tracker. Signing up to INRTracker is free :).
Feel free to modify the recipes to better match your taste preferences while keeping an eye on the vitamin K content per serving.
With a little bit of planning, you can safely manage your warfarin and INR while participating in all of the excitement of the season.
Happy holidays!
XO
Shari
Shari is a registered dietitian specializing in naturopathic medical nutrition for women and children. She is currently doing her MS in Nutrition & Health Promotion at Mississippi State University with the aim of helping others achieve optimal health with real foods. Her passion is to discover the root cause of disease instead of simply trying to mask the symptoms. Shari is the founder of NutriHeal, absolutely loves HIIT and regularly plays volleyball. LinkedIn
Citations (view all)
- 1. Heck, A. M., Dewitt, B. A., & Lukes, A. L. (2000). Potential interactions between alternative therapies and warfarin. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 57 (13), 1221-1227.
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