diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.1-GCCcore-10.2.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.1-GCCcore-10.2.0.eb
index cd32053b8817..afa4c64d21f8 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.1-GCCcore-10.2.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.1-GCCcore-10.2.0.eb
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 preconfigopts = 'autoreconf && '
 
+# make sure that right Lua library is used (bypassing pkg-config)
+preconfigopts += 'export LUA_CFLAGS="-I$EBROOTLUA/include" && export LUA_LIBS="$EBROOTLUA/lib/liblua.a" && '
+
 configopts = '--with-qt=qt5 --without-latex '
 
 sanity_check_paths = {
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.2-GCCcore-10.3.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.2-GCCcore-10.3.0.eb
index f4127746086d..1022e3122d1a 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.2-GCCcore-10.3.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.2-GCCcore-10.3.0.eb
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 preconfigopts = 'autoreconf && '
 
+# make sure that right Lua library is used (bypassing pkg-config)
+preconfigopts += 'export LUA_CFLAGS="-I$EBROOTLUA/include" && export LUA_LIBS="$EBROOTLUA/lib/liblua.a" && '
+
 configopts = '--with-qt=qt5 --without-latex '
 
 sanity_check_paths = {
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.2-GCCcore-11.2.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.2-GCCcore-11.2.0.eb
index c2af06feb4ce..b932c85048e7 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.2-GCCcore-11.2.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.2-GCCcore-11.2.0.eb
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 preconfigopts = 'autoreconf && '
 
+# make sure that right Lua library is used (bypassing pkg-config)
+preconfigopts += 'export LUA_CFLAGS="-I$EBROOTLUA/include" && export LUA_LIBS="$EBROOTLUA/lib/liblua.a" && '
+
 configopts = '--with-qt=qt5 --without-latex '
 
 sanity_check_paths = {
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.4-GCCcore-11.3.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.4-GCCcore-11.3.0.eb
index ca1bcabdf53d..899f0ad50be4 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.4-GCCcore-11.3.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.4-GCCcore-11.3.0.eb
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 preconfigopts = 'autoreconf && '
 
+# make sure that right Lua library is used (bypassing pkg-config)
+preconfigopts += 'export LUA_CFLAGS="-I$EBROOTLUA/include" && export LUA_LIBS="$EBROOTLUA/lib/liblua.a" && '
+
 configopts = '--with-qt=qt5 --without-latex '
 
 sanity_check_paths = {
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.6-GCCcore-12.2.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.6-GCCcore-12.2.0.eb
index 2dcbf8e9d5a1..ee98f8ad3ada 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.6-GCCcore-12.2.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.6-GCCcore-12.2.0.eb
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 preconfigopts = 'autoreconf && '
 
+# make sure that right Lua library is used (bypassing pkg-config)
+preconfigopts += 'export LUA_CFLAGS="-I$EBROOTLUA/include" && export LUA_LIBS="$EBROOTLUA/lib/liblua.a" && '
+
 configopts = '--with-qt=qt5 --without-latex --disable-wxwidgets'
 
 sanity_check_paths = {
diff --git a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.8-GCCcore-12.3.0.eb b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.8-GCCcore-12.3.0.eb
index f49a0f13ec50..db4fa67aa220 100644
--- a/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.8-GCCcore-12.3.0.eb
+++ b/easybuild/easyconfigs/g/gnuplot/gnuplot-5.4.8-GCCcore-12.3.0.eb
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 preconfigopts = 'autoreconf && '
 
+# make sure that right Lua library is used (bypassing pkg-config)
+preconfigopts += 'export LUA_CFLAGS="-I$EBROOTLUA/include" && export LUA_LIBS="$EBROOTLUA/lib/liblua.a" && '
+
 configopts = '--with-qt=qt5 --without-latex --disable-wxwidgets'
 
 sanity_check_paths = {