diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/styles/defaultTheme.js b/packages/mui-material/src/styles/defaultTheme.js
index 094155f2e31e4a..71b00ca7d3251a 100644
--- a/packages/mui-material/src/styles/defaultTheme.js
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/styles/defaultTheme.js
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 'use client';
-import createTheme from './createTheme';
+// `createTheme()` with no arguments is definitionally identical to `createThemeNoVars()`
+// (the public `createTheme` returns `createThemeNoVars(options)` for the default
+// `cssVariables: false` path). Importing `createThemeNoVars` directly keeps the CSS
+// theme-variables machinery (`createThemeWithVars` and friends) out of every component
+// bundle that only needs this default fallback theme.
+import createThemeNoVars from './createThemeNoVars';
 
-const defaultTheme = createTheme();
+const defaultTheme = createThemeNoVars();
 
 export default defaultTheme;