diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/asyncData.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/asyncData.ts
index ac83951f3d..9978172c62 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/asyncData.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/asyncData.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ import { useNuxtApp } from '../nuxt'
 import { createError } from './error'
 import { onNuxtReady } from './ready'
 
+// @ts-expect-error virtual file
+import { asyncDataDefaults } from '#build/nuxt.config.mjs'
+
 export type AsyncDataRequestStatus = 'idle' | 'pending' | 'success' | 'error'
 
 export type _Transform<Input = any, Output = any> = (input: Input) => Output
@@ -146,6 +149,7 @@ export function useAsyncData<
 
   options.lazy = options.lazy ?? false
   options.immediate = options.immediate ?? true
+  options.deep = options.deep ?? asyncDataDefaults.deep
 
   const hasCachedData = () => ![null, undefined].includes(options.getCachedData!(key) as any)
 
@@ -153,7 +157,7 @@ export function useAsyncData<
   if (!nuxt._asyncData[key] || !options.immediate) {
     nuxt.payload._errors[key] ??= null
 
-    const _ref = options.deep !== true ? shallowRef : ref
+    const _ref = options.deep ? ref : shallowRef
 
     nuxt._asyncData[key] = {
       data: _ref(options.getCachedData!(key) ?? options.default!()),
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/fetch.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/fetch.ts
index f969cece81..90b3a6e060 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/fetch.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/fetch.ts
@@ -3,10 +3,14 @@ import type { NitroFetchRequest, TypedInternalResponse, AvailableRouterMethod as
 import type { MaybeRef, Ref } from 'vue'
 import { computed, reactive, unref } from 'vue'
 import { hash } from 'ohash'
+
 import { useRequestFetch } from './ssr'
 import type { AsyncData, AsyncDataOptions, KeysOf, MultiWatchSources, PickFrom } from './asyncData'
 import { useAsyncData } from './asyncData'
 
+// @ts-expect-error virtual file
+import { fetchDefaults } from '#build/nuxt.config.mjs'
+
 // support uppercase methods, detail: https://github.com/nuxt/nuxt/issues/22313
 type AvailableRouterMethod<R extends NitroFetchRequest> = _AvailableRouterMethod<R> | Uppercase<_AvailableRouterMethod<R>>
 
@@ -113,6 +117,7 @@ export function useFetch<
   } = opts
 
   const _fetchOptions = reactive({
+    ...fetchDefaults,
     ...fetchOptions,
     cache: typeof opts.cache === 'boolean' ? undefined : opts.cache
   })
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/core/templates.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/core/templates.ts
index b4fce2091d..6b6cbb27af 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/core/templates.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/core/templates.ts
@@ -338,6 +338,11 @@ export const publicPathTemplate: NuxtTemplate = {
 export const nuxtConfigTemplate = {
   filename: 'nuxt.config.mjs',
   getContents: (ctx: TemplateContext) => {
+    const fetchDefaults = {
+      ...ctx.nuxt.options.experimental.defaults.useFetch,
+      baseURL: undefined,
+      headers: undefined
+    }
     return [
       ...Object.entries(ctx.nuxt.options.app).map(([k, v]) => `export const ${camelCase('app-' + k)} = ${JSON.stringify(v)}`),
       `export const renderJsonPayloads = ${!!ctx.nuxt.options.experimental.renderJsonPayloads}`,
@@ -348,6 +353,8 @@ export const nuxtConfigTemplate = {
       `export const devPagesDir = ${ctx.nuxt.options.dev ? JSON.stringify(ctx.nuxt.options.dir.pages) : 'null'}`,
       `export const devRootDir = ${ctx.nuxt.options.dev ? JSON.stringify(ctx.nuxt.options.rootDir) : 'null'}`,
       `export const nuxtLinkDefaults = ${JSON.stringify(ctx.nuxt.options.experimental.defaults.nuxtLink)}`,
+      `export const asyncDataDefaults = ${JSON.stringify(ctx.nuxt.options.experimental.defaults.useAsyncData)}`,
+      `export const fetchDefaults = ${JSON.stringify(fetchDefaults)}`,
       `export const vueAppRootContainer = ${ctx.nuxt.options.app.rootId ? `'#${ctx.nuxt.options.app.rootId}'` : `'body > ${ctx.nuxt.options.app.rootTag}'`}`
     ].join('\n\n')
   }
diff --git a/packages/schema/build.config.ts b/packages/schema/build.config.ts
index 12b9c19376..708081b43f 100644
--- a/packages/schema/build.config.ts
+++ b/packages/schema/build.config.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ export default defineBuildConfig({
   externals: [
     // Type imports
     '#app/components/nuxt-link',
+    'ofetch',
     'vue-router',
     '@nuxt/telemetry',
     'vue-bundle-renderer',
diff --git a/packages/schema/package.json b/packages/schema/package.json
index b4a571373c..606546c6e1 100644
--- a/packages/schema/package.json
+++ b/packages/schema/package.json
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
     "h3": "1.8.2",
     "ignore": "5.2.4",
     "nitropack": "2.6.3",
+    "ofetch": "^1.3.3",
     "unbuild": "latest",
     "unctx": "2.3.1",
     "vite": "4.5.0",
diff --git a/packages/schema/src/config/experimental.ts b/packages/schema/src/config/experimental.ts
index 804034164c..4b63a5691e 100644
--- a/packages/schema/src/config/experimental.ts
+++ b/packages/schema/src/config/experimental.ts
@@ -258,7 +258,15 @@ export default defineUntypedSchema({
       /** @type {typeof import('#app/components/nuxt-link')['NuxtLinkOptions']} */
       nuxtLink: {
         componentName: 'NuxtLink'
-      }
+      },
+      /**
+       * Options that apply to `useAsyncData` (and also therefore `useFetch`)
+       */
+      useAsyncData: {
+        deep: true
+      },
+      /** @type {Pick<typeof import('ofetch')['FetchOptions'], 'timeout' | 'retry' | 'retryDelay' | 'retryStatusCodes'>} */
+      useFetch: {}
     }
   }
 })
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index e8b6c71023..e6f91b579d 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -490,6 +490,9 @@ importers:
       nitropack:
         specifier: 2.6.3
         version: 2.6.3
+      ofetch:
+        specifier: ^1.3.3
+        version: 1.3.3
       unbuild:
         specifier: latest
         version: 2.0.0(typescript@5.2.2)