diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/vm/default.nix b/pkgs/build-support/vm/default.nix
index 7870f987fafa..64fb1d354208 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/vm/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/vm/default.nix
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ rec {
       -nographic -no-reboot \
       -net nic,model=virtio -net user -smb / \
       -drive file=$diskImage,if=virtio,boot=on \
-      -kernel ${kernel}/vmlinuz \
+      -kernel ${kernel}/bzImage \
       -initrd ${initrd}/initrd \
       -append "console=ttyS0 panic=1 command=${stage2Init} tmpDir=$TMPDIR out=$out mountDisk=$mountDisk" \
       $QEMU_OPTS
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/kernel/builder.sh b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/kernel/builder.sh
index 48e173e1baa2..75283e835de5 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/kernel/builder.sh
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/kernel/builder.sh
@@ -40,9 +40,7 @@ configurePhase() {
 postBuild() {
     # After the builder did a 'make all' (kernel + modules)
     # we force building the target asked: bzImage/zImage/uImage/...
-    if [ "$kernelTarget" != "vmlinuz" ]; then
-        make $makeFlags $kernelTarget
-    fi
+    make $makeFlags $kernelTarget
 }
 
 installPhase() {
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/platforms.nix b/pkgs/top-level/platforms.nix
index 81ef7764b152..8bbb3ae56a8d 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/platforms.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/platforms.nix
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ with pkgs;
     kernelBaseConfig = "defconfig";
     # Build whatever possible as a module, if not stated in the extra config.
     kernelAutoModules = true;
-    kernelTarget = "vmlinuz";
+    kernelTarget = "bzImage";
     kernelExtraConfig =
       ''
         # Virtualisation (KVM, Xen...).