diff --git a/lib/app/client.js b/lib/app/client.js
index d3ab2760b3..216b8ded79 100644
--- a/lib/app/client.js
+++ b/lib/app/client.js
@@ -528,10 +528,12 @@ async function mountApp(__app) {
   // Create Vue instance
   const _app = new Vue(app)
 
-  // Load layout
+  <% if (mode !== 'spa') { %>
+    // Load layout
   const layout = NUXT.layout || 'default'
   await _app.loadLayout(layout)
   _app.setLayout(layout)
+  <% } %>
 
   // Mounts Vue app to DOM element
   const mount = () => {
diff --git a/test/spa.test.js b/test/spa.test.js
index 72e9d65eed..5c89378ce5 100755
--- a/test/spa.test.js
+++ b/test/spa.test.js
@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@ const url = (route) => 'http://localhost:' + port + route
 
 const renderRoute = async _url => {
   const window = await nuxt.renderAndGetWindow(url(_url))
+  const head = window.document.head.innerHTML
   const html = window.document.body.innerHTML
-  return { window, html }
+  return { window, head, html }
 }
 
 // Init nuxt.js and create server listening on localhost:4000
@@ -29,6 +30,11 @@ test('/custom (custom layout)', async t => {
   t.true(html.includes('Custom layout'))
 })
 
+test('/custom (not default layout)', async t => {
+  const { head } = await renderRoute('/custom')
+  t.false(head.includes('src="/_nuxt/layouts/default.'))
+})
+
 // Close server and ask nuxt to stop listening to file changes
 test.after('Closing server and nuxt.js', t => {
   nuxt.close()