diff --git a/docker/README.md b/docker/README.md
index 493cf444a1c..faa24ae6d1f 100644
--- a/docker/README.md
+++ b/docker/README.md
@@ -70,3 +70,44 @@ After build finished, run the container:
 ```
 docker run --rm -it lightgbm
 ```
+
+## Running the R-package Сontainer
+
+Build the container based on the [`verse` Rocker image](https://www.rocker-project.org/images/), for R users:
+
+```
+mkdir lightgbm-docker
+cd lightgbm-docker
+wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Microsoft/LightGBM/master/docker/dockerfile-r
+docker build -t lightgbm-r -f dockerfile-r .
+```
+
+After the build is finished you have two options to run the container:
+
+1. Start [RStudio](https://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/), an interactive development environment, so that you can develop your analysis using LightGBM or simply try out the R package. You can open RStudio in your web browser.
+2. Start a regular R session.
+
+In both cases you can simply call
+
+```
+library("lightgbm")
+```
+
+to load the installed LightGBM R package.
+
+**RStudio**
+
+```
+docker run --rm -it -e PASSWORD=lightgbm -p 8787:8787 lightgbm-r
+```
+
+Open the browser at http://localhost:8787 and log in.
+See the [`rocker/rstudio`](https://hub.docker.com/r/rocker/rstudio) image documentation for further configuration options.
+
+**Regular R**
+
+If you just want a vanilla R process, change the executable of the container:
+
+```
+docker run --rm -it lightgbm-r R
+```
diff --git a/docker/dockerfile-r b/docker/dockerfile-r
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..392bd7fa7f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/dockerfile-r
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+FROM rocker/verse:latest
+
+WORKDIR /lgbm
+
+# R
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y build-essential && \
+    git clone --recursive --branch stable https://github.com/Microsoft/LightGBM && \
+    cd LightGBM && \
+    Rscript build_r.R