diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/app/nuxt.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/app/nuxt.ts
index ba82373afb..e688b87ba0 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/app/nuxt.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/app/nuxt.ts
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ export async function applyPlugins (nuxtApp: NuxtApp, plugins: Array<Plugin & Ob
   let promiseDepth = 0
 
   async function executePlugin (plugin: Plugin & ObjectPlugin<any>) {
-    const unresolvedPluginsForThisPlugin = plugin.dependsOn?.filter(name => !resolvedPlugins.includes(name)) ?? []
+    const unresolvedPluginsForThisPlugin = plugin.dependsOn?.filter(name => plugins.some(p => p._name === name) && !resolvedPlugins.includes(name)) ?? []
     if (unresolvedPluginsForThisPlugin.length > 0) {
       unresolvedPlugins.push([new Set(unresolvedPluginsForThisPlugin), plugin])
     } else {
diff --git a/test/nuxt/plugin.test.ts b/test/nuxt/plugin.test.ts
index 0fcb7ed82c..3426da520c 100644
--- a/test/nuxt/plugin.test.ts
+++ b/test/nuxt/plugin.test.ts
@@ -264,4 +264,21 @@ describe('plugin dependsOn', () => {
       'end B',
     ])
   })
+
+  it('expect to execute plugins if a plugin depends on a plugin that does not exist', async () => {
+    const nuxtApp = useNuxtApp()
+    const sequence: string[] = []
+    const plugins = [
+      pluginFactory('B', undefined, sequence,),
+      pluginFactory('C', ['A', 'B'], sequence,),
+    ]
+    await applyPlugins(nuxtApp, plugins)
+
+    expect(sequence).toMatchObject([
+      'start B',
+      'end B',
+      'start C',
+      'end C',
+    ])
+  })
 })