diff --git a/lib/mixins/element-mixin.js b/lib/mixins/element-mixin.js
index 33773f9f03..a445edaf97 100644
--- a/lib/mixins/element-mixin.js
+++ b/lib/mixins/element-mixin.js
@@ -300,9 +300,8 @@ export const ElementMixin = dedupingMixin(base => {
       let template = /** @type {PolymerElementConstructor} */ (this).template;
       if (template) {
         if (typeof template === 'string') {
-          let t = document.createElement('template');
-          t.innerHTML = template;
-          template = t;
+          console.error('template getter must return HTMLTemplateElement');
+          template = null;
         } else {
           template = template.cloneNode(true);
         }
diff --git a/test/smoke/ordering-test.html b/test/smoke/ordering-test.html
index b4c7831837..7e8a3c1160 100644
--- a/test/smoke/ordering-test.html
+++ b/test/smoke/ordering-test.html
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@
 <body>
 
 <script type="module">
-import { PolymerElement } from '../../polymer-element.js';
+import { PolymerElement, html } from '../../polymer-element.js';
 class XA extends PolymerElement {
   static get template() {
-    return `<x-b prop="[[prop]]"></x-b>`;
+    return html`<x-b prop="[[prop]]"></x-b>`;
   }
   static get observers() { return ['propChanged(prop)']}
   propChanged() {
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@
 
 class XC extends PolymerElement {
   static get template() {
-    return `<div></div>`;
+    return html`<div></div>`;
   }
   static get observers() { return ['propChanged(prop)']}
   propChanged() {
diff --git a/test/unit/dom-repeat-elements.js b/test/unit/dom-repeat-elements.js
index 46e2bb73f7..8b836da510 100644
--- a/test/unit/dom-repeat-elements.js
+++ b/test/unit/dom-repeat-elements.js
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ Polymer({
   }
 });
 let XNestedRepeat = Polymer({
-    _template: `
+    _template: html`
   <template id="repeater" is="dom-repeat" items="{{items}}" as="itema" index-as="indexa" on-dom-change="domUpdateHandler">
     <x-foo on-test1="testHandler1"
            innera-prop="{{innera.prop}}"
@@ -254,8 +254,7 @@ let XNestedRepeat = Polymer({
 class XNestedRepeatMutable extends MutableData(XNestedRepeat) {
   static get template() {
     if (!this._templateEl) {
-      this._templateEl = document.createElement('template');
-      this._templateEl.innerHTML = XNestedRepeat.template;
+      this._templateEl = XNestedRepeat.template.cloneNode(true);
     }
     return this.makeRepeatsMutable(this._templateEl.cloneNode(true));
   }
diff --git a/test/unit/polymer.element.html b/test/unit/polymer.element.html
index 357cd270b4..6bfe4d610e 100644
--- a/test/unit/polymer.element.html
+++ b/test/unit/polymer.element.html
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@
 
   <dom-module id="sub-element">
     <script type="module">
-import '../../polymer-element.js';
+import { PolymerElement } from '../../polymer-element.js';
 
 class SubElement extends window.MyElement {
 
@@ -247,11 +247,11 @@
   </dom-module>
 
   <script type="module">
-import '../../polymer-element.js';
+import { html } from '../../polymer-element.js';
 
 class SubNewTemplate extends window.MyElement {
   static get template() {
-    return `
+    return html`
       <h1>Sub template</h1>
       <div id="subContent">{{prop2}}</div>`;
   }
diff --git a/test/unit/styling-scoped.html b/test/unit/styling-scoped.html
index 7d9f287752..c742ebb41a 100644
--- a/test/unit/styling-scoped.html
+++ b/test/unit/styling-scoped.html
@@ -587,7 +587,7 @@
   </style>
 </template>
 <script type="module">
-import { PolymerElement } from '../../polymer-element.js';
+import { PolymerElement, html } from '../../polymer-element.js';
 customElements.define('x-class-no-is', class extends PolymerElement {
   static get template() {
     return window.xClass;
@@ -596,7 +596,7 @@
 
 customElements.define('x-template-string', class extends PolymerElement {
   static get template() {
-    return `<style>
+    return html`<style>
       :host {
         display: block;
         border: 1px solid orange;
