diff --git a/datafusion/core/tests/sql/explain_analyze.rs b/datafusion/core/tests/sql/explain_analyze.rs
index 852b350b27df..e082cabaadaf 100644
--- a/datafusion/core/tests/sql/explain_analyze.rs
+++ b/datafusion/core/tests/sql/explain_analyze.rs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ use rstest::rstest;
 use datafusion::config::ConfigOptions;
 use datafusion::physical_plan::display::DisplayableExecutionPlan;
 use datafusion::physical_plan::metrics::Timestamp;
+use object_store::path::Path;
 
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn explain_analyze_baseline_metrics() {
@@ -727,6 +728,130 @@ async fn parquet_explain_analyze() {
     assert_contains!(&formatted, "row_groups_pruned_statistics=0");
 }
 
+// This test reproduces the behavior described in
+// https://github.com/apache/datafusion/issues/16684 where projection
+// pushdown with recursive CTEs could fail to remove unused columns
+// (e.g. nested/recursive expansion causing full schema to be scanned).
+// Keeping this test ensures we don't regress that behavior.
+#[tokio::test]
+#[cfg_attr(tarpaulin, ignore)]
+async fn parquet_recursive_projection_pushdown() -> Result<()> {
+    use parquet::arrow::arrow_writer::ArrowWriter;
+    use parquet::file::properties::WriterProperties;
+
+    let temp_dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let parquet_path = temp_dir.path().join("hierarchy.parquet");
+
+    let ids = Int64Array::from(vec![1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]);
+    let parent_ids = Int64Array::from(vec![0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]);
+    let values = Int64Array::from(vec![10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100]);
+
+    let schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![
+        Field::new("id", DataType::Int64, false),
+        Field::new("parent_id", DataType::Int64, true),
+        Field::new("value", DataType::Int64, false),
+    ]));
+
+    let batch = RecordBatch::try_new(
+        schema.clone(),
+        vec![Arc::new(ids), Arc::new(parent_ids), Arc::new(values)],
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+
+    let file = File::create(&parquet_path).unwrap();
+    let props = WriterProperties::builder().build();
+    let mut writer = ArrowWriter::try_new(file, schema, Some(props)).unwrap();
+    writer.write(&batch).unwrap();
+    writer.close().unwrap();
+
+    let ctx = SessionContext::new();
+    ctx.register_parquet(
+        "hierarchy",
+        parquet_path.to_str().unwrap(),
+        ParquetReadOptions::default(),
+    )
+    .await?;
+
+    let sql = r#"
+        WITH RECURSIVE number_series AS (
+            SELECT id, 1 as level
+            FROM hierarchy
+            WHERE id = 1
+
+            UNION ALL
+
+            SELECT ns.id + 1, ns.level + 1
+            FROM number_series ns
+            WHERE ns.id < 10
+        )
+        SELECT * FROM number_series ORDER BY id
+    "#;
+
+    let dataframe = ctx.sql(sql).await?;
+    let physical_plan = dataframe.create_physical_plan().await?;
+
+    let normalizer = ExplainNormalizer::new();
+    let mut actual = format!("{}", displayable(physical_plan.as_ref()).indent(true))
+        .trim()
+        .lines()
+        .map(|line| normalizer.normalize(line))
+        .collect::<Vec<_>>()
+        .join("\n");
+
+    fn replace_path_variants(actual: &mut String, path: &str) {
+        let mut candidates = vec![path.to_string()];
+
+        let trimmed = path.trim_start_matches(std::path::MAIN_SEPARATOR);
+        if trimmed != path {
+            candidates.push(trimmed.to_string());
+        }
+
+        let forward_slash = path.replace('\\', "/");
+        if forward_slash != path {
+            candidates.push(forward_slash.clone());
+
+            let trimmed_forward = forward_slash.trim_start_matches('/');
+            if trimmed_forward != forward_slash {
+                candidates.push(trimmed_forward.to_string());
+            }
+        }
+
+        for candidate in candidates {
+            *actual = actual.replace(&candidate, "TMP_DIR");
+        }
+    }
+
+    let temp_dir_path = temp_dir.path();
+    let fs_path = temp_dir_path.to_string_lossy().to_string();
+    replace_path_variants(&mut actual, &fs_path);
+
+    if let Ok(url_path) = Path::from_filesystem_path(temp_dir_path) {
+        replace_path_variants(&mut actual, url_path.as_ref());
+    }
+
+    assert_snapshot!(
+        actual,
+        @r"
+    SortExec: expr=[id@0 ASC NULLS LAST], preserve_partitioning=[false]
+      RecursiveQueryExec: name=number_series, is_distinct=false
+        CoalescePartitionsExec
+          ProjectionExec: expr=[id@0 as id, 1 as level]
+            CoalesceBatchesExec: target_batch_size=8192
+              FilterExec: id@0 = 1
+                RepartitionExec: partitioning=RoundRobinBatch(NUM_CORES), input_partitions=1
+                  DataSourceExec: file_groups={1 group: [[TMP_DIR/hierarchy.parquet]]}, projection=[id], file_type=parquet, predicate=id@0 = 1, pruning_predicate=id_null_count@2 != row_count@3 AND id_min@0 <= 1 AND 1 <= id_max@1, required_guarantees=[id in (1)]
+        CoalescePartitionsExec
+          ProjectionExec: expr=[id@0 + 1 as ns.id + Int64(1), level@1 + 1 as ns.level + Int64(1)]
+            CoalesceBatchesExec: target_batch_size=8192
+              FilterExec: id@0 < 10
+                RepartitionExec: partitioning=RoundRobinBatch(NUM_CORES), input_partitions=1
+                  WorkTableExec: name=number_series
+    "
+    );
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 #[cfg_attr(tarpaulin, ignore)]
 async fn parquet_explain_analyze_verbose() {
diff --git a/datafusion/optimizer/src/optimize_projections/mod.rs b/datafusion/optimizer/src/optimize_projections/mod.rs
index 312e788db7be..5db71417bc8f 100644
--- a/datafusion/optimizer/src/optimize_projections/mod.rs
+++ b/datafusion/optimizer/src/optimize_projections/mod.rs
@@ -880,7 +880,9 @@ pub fn is_projection_unnecessary(
 /// pushdown for now because we cannot safely reason about their column usage.
 fn plan_contains_other_subqueries(plan: &LogicalPlan, cte_name: &str) -> bool {
     if let LogicalPlan::SubqueryAlias(alias) = plan {
-        if alias.alias.table() != cte_name {
+        if alias.alias.table() != cte_name
+            && !subquery_alias_targets_recursive_cte(alias.input.as_ref(), cte_name)
+        {
             return true;
         }
     }
@@ -913,6 +915,23 @@ fn expr_contains_subquery(expr: &Expr) -> bool {
     .unwrap()
 }
 
+fn subquery_alias_targets_recursive_cte(plan: &LogicalPlan, cte_name: &str) -> bool {
+    match plan {
+        LogicalPlan::TableScan(scan) => scan.table_name.table() == cte_name,
+        LogicalPlan::SubqueryAlias(alias) => {
+            subquery_alias_targets_recursive_cte(alias.input.as_ref(), cte_name)
+        }
+        _ => {
+            let inputs = plan.inputs();
+            if inputs.len() == 1 {
+                subquery_alias_targets_recursive_cte(inputs[0], cte_name)
+            } else {
+                false
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use std::cmp::Ordering;
diff --git a/datafusion/optimizer/tests/optimizer_integration.rs b/datafusion/optimizer/tests/optimizer_integration.rs
index b17375ac01b7..c0f48b8ebfc4 100644
--- a/datafusion/optimizer/tests/optimizer_integration.rs
+++ b/datafusion/optimizer/tests/optimizer_integration.rs
@@ -548,6 +548,29 @@ fn recursive_cte_projection_pushdown() -> Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn recursive_cte_with_aliased_self_reference() -> Result<()> {
+    let sql = "WITH RECURSIVE nodes AS (\
+        SELECT col_int32 AS id, col_utf8 AS name FROM test \
+        UNION ALL \
+        SELECT child.id + 1, child.name FROM nodes AS child WHERE child.id < 3\
+    ) SELECT id FROM nodes";
+    let plan = test_sql(sql)?;
+
+    assert_snapshot!(
+        format!("{plan}"),
+        @r#"SubqueryAlias: nodes
+  RecursiveQuery: is_distinct=false
+    Projection: test.col_int32 AS id
+      TableScan: test projection=[col_int32]
+    Projection: CAST(CAST(child.id AS Int64) + Int64(1) AS Int32)
+      SubqueryAlias: child
+        Filter: nodes.id < Int32(3)
+          TableScan: nodes projection=[id]"#,
+    );
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn recursive_cte_with_unused_columns() -> Result<()> {
     // Test projection pushdown with a recursive CTE where the base case