diff --git a/docs/src/whatsnew/latest.rst b/docs/src/whatsnew/latest.rst
index b9a0cbbc39..fc189a4495 100644
--- a/docs/src/whatsnew/latest.rst
+++ b/docs/src/whatsnew/latest.rst
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ This document explains the changes made to Iris for this release
 #. `@bouweandela`_ added the option to specify the Dask chunks of the target
    array in :func:`iris.util.broadcast_to_shape`. (:pull:`5620`)
 
+#. `@schlunma`_ allowed :func:`iris.analysis.cartography.area_weights` to
+   return dask arrays with arbitrary chunks. (:pull:`5658`)
+
+
 🔥 Deprecations
 ===============
 
@@ -90,4 +94,4 @@ This document explains the changes made to Iris for this release
 
 
 .. comment
-    Whatsnew resources in alphabetical order:
\ No newline at end of file
+    Whatsnew resources in alphabetical order:
diff --git a/lib/iris/analysis/cartography.py b/lib/iris/analysis/cartography.py
index 854347839d..2e7c3a3677 100644
--- a/lib/iris/analysis/cartography.py
+++ b/lib/iris/analysis/cartography.py
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ def _quadrant_area(radian_lat_bounds, radian_lon_bounds, radius_of_earth):
     return np.abs(areas)
 
 
-def area_weights(cube, normalize=False):
+def area_weights(cube, normalize=False, compute=True, chunks=None):
     r"""Return an array of area weights, with the same dimensions as the cube.
 
     This is a 2D lat/lon area weights array, repeated over the non lat/lon
@@ -401,6 +401,13 @@ def area_weights(cube, normalize=False):
     normalize : bool, default=False
         If False, weights are grid cell areas. If True, weights are grid
         cell areas divided by the total grid area.
+    compute : bool, default=True
+        If False, return a lazy dask array. If True, return a numpy array.
+    chunks : tuple, optional
+        If compute is False and a value is provided, then the result will use
+        these chunks instead of the same chunks as the cube data. The values
+        provided here will only be used along dimensions that are not latitude
+        or longitude.
 
     Returns
     -------
@@ -476,7 +483,13 @@ def area_weights(cube, normalize=False):
 
     # Create 2D weights from bounds.
     # Use the geographical area as the weight for each cell
-    ll_weights = _quadrant_area(lat.bounds, lon.bounds, radius_of_earth)
+    if compute:
+        lat_bounds = lat.bounds
+        lon_bounds = lon.bounds
+    else:
+        lat_bounds = lat.lazy_bounds()
+        lon_bounds = lon.lazy_bounds()
+    ll_weights = _quadrant_area(lat_bounds, lon_bounds, radius_of_earth)
 
     # Normalize the weights if necessary.
     if normalize:
@@ -491,7 +504,9 @@ def area_weights(cube, normalize=False):
         if dim is not None:
             wshape.append(ll_weights.shape[idim])
     ll_weights = ll_weights.reshape(wshape)
-    broad_weights = iris.util.broadcast_to_shape(ll_weights, cube.shape, broadcast_dims)
+    broad_weights = iris.util.broadcast_to_shape(
+        ll_weights, cube.shape, broadcast_dims, chunks=chunks
+    )
 
     return broad_weights
 
diff --git a/lib/iris/tests/test_analysis.py b/lib/iris/tests/test_analysis.py
index 6ed02b8ad4..a8446034be 100644
--- a/lib/iris/tests/test_analysis.py
+++ b/lib/iris/tests/test_analysis.py
@@ -1116,6 +1116,8 @@ def test_rotate_1d(self):
 
 @tests.skip_data
 class TestAreaWeights(tests.IrisTest):
+    # Note: chunks is simply ignored for non-lazy data
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("chunks", [None, (2, 3)])
     def test_area_weights(self):
         small_cube = iris.tests.stock.simple_pp()
         # Get offset, subsampled region: small enough to test against literals
@@ -1155,6 +1157,47 @@ def test_area_weights(self):
         )
 
 
+@tests.skip_data
+class TestLazyAreaWeights:
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("normalize", [True, False])
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("chunks", [None, (2, 3, 4), (2, 2, 2)])
+    def test_lazy_area_weights(self, chunks, normalize):
+        small_cube = iris.tests.stock.simple_3d()[[0, 0, 0, 0], :, :]
+        small_cube.coord("latitude").guess_bounds()
+        small_cube.coord("longitude").guess_bounds()
+
+        area_weights = iris.analysis.cartography.area_weights(
+            small_cube,
+            normalize=normalize,
+            compute=False,
+            chunks=chunks,
+        )
+
+        assert isinstance(area_weights, da.Array)
+
+        # Check that chunksizes are as expected
+        if chunks is None:
+            assert area_weights.chunksize == (4, 3, 4)
+        else:
+            assert area_weights.chunksize == (2, 3, 4)
+
+        # Check that actual weights are as expected (known good output)
+        if normalize:
+            expected_2d = [
+                [0.03661165, 0.03661165, 0.03661165, 0.03661165],
+                [0.1767767, 0.1767767, 0.1767767, 0.1767767],
+                [0.03661165, 0.03661165, 0.03661165, 0.03661165],
+            ]
+        else:
+            expected_2d = [
+                [1.86536150e13, 1.86536150e13, 1.86536150e13, 1.86536150e13],
+                [9.00676206e13, 9.00676206e13, 9.00676206e13, 9.00676206e13],
+                [1.86536150e13, 1.86536150e13, 1.86536150e13, 1.86536150e13],
+            ]
+        expected = np.broadcast_to(expected_2d, (4, 3, 4))
+        np.testing.assert_allclose(area_weights.compute(), expected)
+
+
 @tests.skip_data
 class TestAreaWeightGeneration(tests.IrisTest):
     def setUp(self):