diff --git a/src/cdk/overlay/overlay-ref.ts b/src/cdk/overlay/overlay-ref.ts
index 6db556d858b7..7eced4afab2b 100644
--- a/src/cdk/overlay/overlay-ref.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/overlay/overlay-ref.ts
@@ -331,6 +331,7 @@ export class OverlayRef implements PortalOutlet {
     let backdropToDetach = this._backdropElement;
 
     if (backdropToDetach) {
+      let timeoutId: number;
       let finishDetach = () => {
         // It may not be attached to anything in certain cases (e.g. unit tests).
         if (backdropToDetach && backdropToDetach.parentNode) {
@@ -343,6 +344,8 @@ export class OverlayRef implements PortalOutlet {
         if (this._backdropElement == backdropToDetach) {
           this._backdropElement = null;
         }
+
+        clearTimeout(timeoutId);
       };
 
       backdropToDetach.classList.remove('cdk-overlay-backdrop-showing');
@@ -351,7 +354,9 @@ export class OverlayRef implements PortalOutlet {
         this._toggleClasses(backdropToDetach, this._config.backdropClass, false);
       }
 
-      backdropToDetach.addEventListener('transitionend', finishDetach);
+      this._ngZone.runOutsideAngular(() => {
+        backdropToDetach!.addEventListener('transitionend', finishDetach);
+      });
 
       // If the backdrop doesn't have a transition, the `transitionend` event won't fire.
       // In this case we make it unclickable and we try to remove it after a delay.
@@ -360,7 +365,7 @@ export class OverlayRef implements PortalOutlet {
       // Run this outside the Angular zone because there's nothing that Angular cares about.
       // If it were to run inside the Angular zone, every test that used Overlay would have to be
       // either async or fakeAsync.
-      this._ngZone.runOutsideAngular(() => setTimeout(finishDetach, 500));
+      timeoutId = this._ngZone.runOutsideAngular(() => setTimeout(finishDetach, 500));
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/cdk/overlay/overlay.spec.ts b/src/cdk/overlay/overlay.spec.ts
index 0d5333faa7f9..dbcfc6b51d6a 100644
--- a/src/cdk/overlay/overlay.spec.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/overlay/overlay.spec.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import {
   EventEmitter,
 } from '@angular/core';
 import {Direction, Directionality} from '@angular/cdk/bidi';
+import {dispatchFakeEvent} from '@angular/cdk/testing';
 import {
   ComponentPortal,
   PortalModule,
@@ -292,6 +293,19 @@ describe('Overlay', () => {
     expect(overlayRef.backdropElement).toBeFalsy('Expected backdrop element not to be referenced.');
   }));
 
+  it('should clear the backdrop timeout if the transition finishes first', fakeAsync(() => {
+    const overlayRef = overlay.create({hasBackdrop: true});
+
+    overlayRef.attach(componentPortal);
+    overlayRef.detach();
+
+    const backdrop = overlayContainerElement.querySelector('.cdk-overlay-backdrop')!;
+    dispatchFakeEvent(backdrop, 'transitionend');
+
+    // Note: we don't `tick` or `flush` here. The assertion is that
+    // `fakeAsync` will throw if we have an unflushed timer.
+  }));
+
   it('should be able to use the `Overlay` provider during app initialization', () => {
     /** Dummy provider that depends on `Overlay`. */
     @Injectable()