diff --git a/packages/vue-app/template/server.js b/packages/vue-app/template/server.js
index ac343b84c4..37cd351516 100644
--- a/packages/vue-app/template/server.js
+++ b/packages/vue-app/template/server.js
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ export default async (ssrContext) => {
     __webpack_public_path__ = joinURL(ssrContext.nuxt.config.app.cdnURL, ssrContext.nuxt.config.app.assetsPath)
   }
   // Create the app definition and the instance (created for each request)
-  const { app, router<%= (store ? ', store' : '') %> } = await createApp(ssrContext, { ...ssrContext.runtimeConfig.public, ...ssrContext.runtimeConfig.private })
+const { app, router<%= (store ? ', store' : '') %> } = await createApp(ssrContext, ssrContext.runtimeConfig.private)
   const _app = new Vue(app)
   // Add ssr route path to nuxt context so we can account for page navigation between ssr and csr
   ssrContext.nuxt.routePath = app.context.route.path
diff --git a/packages/vue-renderer/src/renderer.js b/packages/vue-renderer/src/renderer.js
index 80b5ba1f19..1c87c3c38c 100644
--- a/packages/vue-renderer/src/renderer.js
+++ b/packages/vue-renderer/src/renderer.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import consola from 'consola'
 import { template } from 'lodash'
 import { TARGETS, isModernRequest, urlJoin, waitFor } from '@nuxt/utils'
 import { normalizeURL } from 'ufo'
+import defu from 'defu'
 
 import SPARenderer from './renderers/spa'
 import SSRRenderer from './renderers/ssr'
@@ -296,7 +297,7 @@ export default class VueRenderer {
 
     // Set runtime config on renderContext
     renderContext.runtimeConfig = {
-      private: renderContext.spa ? {} : { ...this.options.privateRuntimeConfig },
+      private: renderContext.spa ? {} : defu(this.options.privateRuntimeConfig, this.options.publicRuntimeConfig),
       public: { ...this.options.publicRuntimeConfig }
     }
 
diff --git a/test/fixtures/runtime-config/nuxt.config.js b/test/fixtures/runtime-config/nuxt.config.js
index 744ffda64c..0eec93abea 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/runtime-config/nuxt.config.js
+++ b/test/fixtures/runtime-config/nuxt.config.js
@@ -2,12 +2,19 @@ export default {
   publicRuntimeConfig: {
     baseURL: process.env.BASE_URL,
     isFixture: true,
-    TOKEN: 'default'
+    TOKEN: 'default',
+    nested: {
+      priv: 0,
+      pub: 1
+    }
   },
   privateRuntimeConfig: {
     baseURL: '${PUBLIC_URL}${BASE_URL}',
     API_SECRET: '',
-    FOO: '123/${FOO}'
+    FOO: '123/${FOO}',
+    nested: {
+      priv: 1
+    }
   },
   serverMiddleware: [
     (req, _, next) => {