diff --git a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt.h b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt.h
index 521fcb7af3..614ea57d87 100644
--- a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt.h
+++ b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt.h
@@ -896,6 +896,8 @@ struct bnxt {
 	struct rte_ether_addr	*mcast_addr_list;
 	rte_iova_t		mc_list_dma_addr;
 	uint32_t		nb_mc_addr;
+
+	struct rte_eth_rss_conf	rss_conf; /* RSS configuration. */
 };
 
 static
diff --git a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_ethdev.c
index bac96001a4..dcf2839215 100644
--- a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_ethdev.c
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ static int bnxt_alloc_mem(struct bnxt *bp, bool reconfig)
 	if (rc)
 		goto alloc_mem_err;
 
-	rc = bnxt_alloc_vnic_attributes(bp);
+	rc = bnxt_alloc_vnic_attributes(bp, reconfig);
 	if (rc)
 		goto alloc_mem_err;
 
@@ -1067,6 +1067,7 @@ static int bnxt_dev_configure_op(struct rte_eth_dev *eth_dev)
 {
 	struct bnxt *bp = eth_dev->data->dev_private;
 	uint64_t rx_offloads = eth_dev->data->dev_conf.rxmode.offloads;
+	struct rte_eth_rss_conf *rss_conf = &eth_dev->data->dev_conf.rx_adv_conf.rss_conf;
 	int rc;
 
 	bp->rx_queues = (void *)eth_dev->data->rx_queues;
@@ -1141,6 +1142,17 @@ static int bnxt_dev_configure_op(struct rte_eth_dev *eth_dev)
 		rx_offloads |= RTE_ETH_RX_OFFLOAD_RSS_HASH;
 	eth_dev->data->dev_conf.rxmode.offloads = rx_offloads;
 
+	/* application provides the hash key to program */
+	if (rss_conf->rss_key != NULL) {
+		if (rss_conf->rss_key_len != HW_HASH_KEY_SIZE)
+			PMD_DRV_LOG(WARNING, "port %u RSS key len must be %d bytes long",
+				    eth_dev->data->port_id, HW_HASH_KEY_SIZE);
+		else
+			memcpy(bp->rss_conf.rss_key, rss_conf->rss_key, HW_HASH_KEY_SIZE);
+	}
+	bp->rss_conf.rss_key_len = HW_HASH_KEY_SIZE;
+	bp->rss_conf.rss_hf = rss_conf->rss_hf;
+
 	bnxt_mtu_set_op(eth_dev, eth_dev->data->mtu);
 
 	return 0;
@@ -2126,9 +2138,6 @@ static int bnxt_rss_hash_update_op(struct rte_eth_dev *eth_dev,
 	}
 
 	bp->flags |= BNXT_FLAG_UPDATE_HASH;
-	memcpy(&eth_dev->data->dev_conf.rx_adv_conf.rss_conf,
-	       rss_conf,
-	       sizeof(*rss_conf));
 
 	/* Update the default RSS VNIC(s) */
 	vnic = BNXT_GET_DEFAULT_VNIC(bp);
@@ -2137,6 +2146,9 @@ static int bnxt_rss_hash_update_op(struct rte_eth_dev *eth_dev,
 		bnxt_rte_to_hwrm_hash_level(bp, rss_conf->rss_hf,
 					    RTE_ETH_RSS_LEVEL(rss_conf->rss_hf));
 
+	/* Cache the hash function */
+	bp->rss_conf.rss_hf = rss_conf->rss_hf;
+
 	/*
 	 * If hashkey is not specified, use the previously configured
 	 * hashkey
@@ -2152,6 +2164,9 @@ static int bnxt_rss_hash_update_op(struct rte_eth_dev *eth_dev,
 	}
 	memcpy(vnic->rss_hash_key, rss_conf->rss_key, rss_conf->rss_key_len);
 
+	/* Cache the hash key */
+	memcpy(bp->rss_conf.rss_key, rss_conf->rss_key, HW_HASH_KEY_SIZE);
+
 rss_config:
 	rc = bnxt_hwrm_vnic_rss_cfg(bp, vnic);
 	return rc;
@@ -5304,6 +5319,16 @@ static int bnxt_init_resources(struct bnxt *bp, bool reconfig_dev)
 		}
 	}
 
+	if (!reconfig_dev) {
+		bp->rss_conf.rss_key = rte_zmalloc("bnxt_rss_key",
+						   HW_HASH_KEY_SIZE, 0);
+		if (bp->rss_conf.rss_key == NULL) {
+			PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "port %u cannot allocate RSS hash key memory",
+				    bp->eth_dev->data->port_id);
+			return -ENOMEM;
+		}
+	}
+
 	rc = bnxt_alloc_mem(bp, reconfig_dev);
 	if (rc)
 		return rc;
@@ -5950,6 +5975,8 @@ bnxt_uninit_resources(struct bnxt *bp, bool reconfig_dev)
 		bnxt_free_error_recovery_info(bp);
 		rte_free(bp->mcast_addr_list);
 		bp->mcast_addr_list = NULL;
+		rte_free(bp->rss_conf.rss_key);
+		bp->rss_conf.rss_key = NULL;
 	}
 
 	bnxt_uninit_ctx_mem(bp);
diff --git a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_rxq.c b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_rxq.c
index c9d99039ad..9f1d1d4dba 100644
--- a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_rxq.c
+++ b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_rxq.c
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ int bnxt_mq_rx_configure(struct bnxt *bp)
 	bp->rx_num_qs_per_vnic = nb_q_per_grp;
 
 	if (dev_conf->rxmode.mq_mode & RTE_ETH_MQ_RX_RSS_FLAG) {
-		struct rte_eth_rss_conf *rss = &dev_conf->rx_adv_conf.rss_conf;
+		struct rte_eth_rss_conf *rss = &bp->rss_conf;
 
 		if (bp->flags & BNXT_FLAG_UPDATE_HASH)
 			bp->flags &= ~BNXT_FLAG_UPDATE_HASH;
diff --git a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_vnic.c b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_vnic.c
index e05dc241dc..09d67ef885 100644
--- a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_vnic.c
+++ b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_vnic.c
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ void bnxt_free_vnic_attributes(struct bnxt *bp)
 	}
 }
 
-int bnxt_alloc_vnic_attributes(struct bnxt *bp)
+int bnxt_alloc_vnic_attributes(struct bnxt *bp, bool reconfig)
 {
 	struct bnxt_vnic_info *vnic;
 	struct rte_pci_device *pdev = bp->pdev;
@@ -168,7 +168,12 @@ int bnxt_alloc_vnic_attributes(struct bnxt *bp)
 
 		vnic->rss_hash_key_dma_addr = vnic->rss_table_dma_addr +
 					      rss_table_size;
-		bnxt_prandom_bytes(vnic->rss_hash_key, HW_HASH_KEY_SIZE);
+		if (!reconfig) {
+			bnxt_prandom_bytes(vnic->rss_hash_key, HW_HASH_KEY_SIZE);
+			memcpy(bp->rss_conf.rss_key, vnic->rss_hash_key, HW_HASH_KEY_SIZE);
+		} else {
+			memcpy(vnic->rss_hash_key, bp->rss_conf.rss_key, HW_HASH_KEY_SIZE);
+		}
 	}
 
 	return 0;
diff --git a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_vnic.h b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_vnic.h
index af3a2dd779..25481fcbdd 100644
--- a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_vnic.h
+++ b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_vnic.h
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ int bnxt_free_vnic(struct bnxt *bp, struct bnxt_vnic_info *vnic,
 struct bnxt_vnic_info *bnxt_alloc_vnic(struct bnxt *bp);
 void bnxt_free_all_vnics(struct bnxt *bp);
 void bnxt_free_vnic_attributes(struct bnxt *bp);
-int bnxt_alloc_vnic_attributes(struct bnxt *bp);
+int bnxt_alloc_vnic_attributes(struct bnxt *bp, bool reconfig);
 void bnxt_free_vnic_mem(struct bnxt *bp);
 int bnxt_alloc_vnic_mem(struct bnxt *bp);
 int bnxt_vnic_grp_alloc(struct bnxt *bp, struct bnxt_vnic_info *vnic);