diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/asyncData.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/asyncData.ts
index 3f0cc48ced..a809ff2f09 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/asyncData.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/app/composables/asyncData.ts
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ export type AsyncData<Data, Error> = _AsyncData<Data, Error> & Promise<_AsyncDat
  */
 export function useAsyncData<
   ResT,
-  NuxtErrorDataT = unknown,
+  NuxtErrorDataT = Error,
   DataT = ResT,
   PickKeys extends KeysOf<DataT> = KeysOf<DataT>,
   DefaultT = undefined,
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ export function useAsyncData<
  */
 export function useAsyncData<
   ResT,
-  NuxtErrorDataT = unknown,
+  NuxtErrorDataT = Error,
   DataT = ResT,
   PickKeys extends KeysOf<DataT> = KeysOf<DataT>,
   DefaultT = DataT,
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ export function useAsyncData<
  */
 export function useAsyncData<
   ResT,
-  NuxtErrorDataT = unknown,
+  NuxtErrorDataT = Error,
   DataT = ResT,
   PickKeys extends KeysOf<DataT> = KeysOf<DataT>,
   DefaultT = undefined,
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ export function useAsyncData<
  */
 export function useAsyncData<
   ResT,
-  NuxtErrorDataT = unknown,
+  NuxtErrorDataT = Error,
   DataT = ResT,
   PickKeys extends KeysOf<DataT> = KeysOf<DataT>,
   DefaultT = DataT,
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ export function useAsyncData<
 ): AsyncData<PickFrom<DataT, PickKeys> | DefaultT, NuxtErrorDataT | undefined>
 export function useAsyncData<
   ResT,
-  NuxtErrorDataT = unknown,
+  NuxtErrorDataT = Error,
   DataT = ResT,
   PickKeys extends KeysOf<DataT> = KeysOf<DataT>,
   DefaultT = undefined,
diff --git a/test/fixtures/basic-types/types.ts b/test/fixtures/basic-types/types.ts
index f549c59175..3887cf5b45 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/basic-types/types.ts
+++ b/test/fixtures/basic-types/types.ts
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ describe('API routes', () => {
     expectTypeOf(useAsyncData('api-other', () => $fetch('/api/other')).data).toEqualTypeOf<Ref<unknown>>()
     expectTypeOf(useAsyncData<TestResponse>('api-generics', () => $fetch('/test')).data).toEqualTypeOf<Ref<TestResponse | DefaultAsyncDataValue>>()
 
-    expectTypeOf(useAsyncData('api-error-generics', () => $fetch('/error')).error).toEqualTypeOf<Ref<unknown | DefaultAsyncDataErrorValue>>()
+    expectTypeOf(useAsyncData('api-error-generics', () => $fetch('/error')).error).toEqualTypeOf<Ref<Error | DefaultAsyncDataErrorValue>>()
     expectTypeOf(useAsyncData<any, string>('api-error-generics', () => $fetch('/error')).error).toEqualTypeOf<Ref<string | DefaultAsyncDataErrorValue>>()
     // backwards compatibility
     expectTypeOf(useAsyncData<any, Error>('api-error-generics', () => $fetch('/error')).error).toEqualTypeOf<Ref<Error | DefaultAsyncDataErrorValue>>()