diff --git a/packages/next/src/server/config-shared.ts b/packages/next/src/server/config-shared.ts
index 099de22a11a0..c03928b177cf 100644
--- a/packages/next/src/server/config-shared.ts
+++ b/packages/next/src/server/config-shared.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import { SubresourceIntegrityAlgorithm } from '../build/webpack/plugins/subresou
 import { WEB_VITALS } from '../shared/lib/utils'
 import type { NextParsedUrlQuery } from './request-meta'
 import { SizeLimit } from '../../types'
-import type { ZodError } from 'zod'
 
 export type NextConfigComplete = Required<NextConfig> & {
   images: Required<ImageConfigComplete>
@@ -781,18 +780,3 @@ export async function normalizeConfig(phase: string, config: any) {
   // Support `new Promise` and `async () =>` as return values of the config export
   return await config
 }
-
-export function validateConfig(userConfig: NextConfig): ZodError | null {
-  if (process.env.NEXT_MINIMAL) {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  const { configSchema } =
-    require('./config-schema') as typeof import('./config-schema')
-  const state = configSchema.safeParse(userConfig)
-  if (state.success) {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  return state.error
-}
diff --git a/packages/next/src/server/config.ts b/packages/next/src/server/config.ts
index a7d52539b6e0..8a465b197f8e 100644
--- a/packages/next/src/server/config.ts
+++ b/packages/next/src/server/config.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import {
   normalizeConfig,
   ExperimentalConfig,
   NextConfigComplete,
-  validateConfig,
   NextConfig,
   TurboLoaderItem,
 } from './config-shared'
@@ -955,13 +954,15 @@ export default async function loadConfig(
       userConfigModule.default || userConfigModule
     )
 
-    const validateError = validateConfig(userConfig)
+    const { configSchema } =
+      require('./config-schema') as typeof import('./config-schema')
+    const state = configSchema.safeParse(userConfig)
 
-    if (validateError) {
+    if (!state.success) {
       // error message header
       const messages = [`Invalid ${configFileName} options detected: `]
 
-      const [errorMessages, shouldExit] = normalizeZodErrors(validateError)
+      const [errorMessages, shouldExit] = normalizeZodErrors(state.error)
       // ident list item
       for (const error of errorMessages) {
         messages.push(`    ${error}`)