diff --git a/build-tools-internal/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/internal/docker/DockerBuildTask.java b/build-tools-internal/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/internal/docker/DockerBuildTask.java
index 728d6140ee019..87d7d8d8ed47c 100644
--- a/build-tools-internal/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/internal/docker/DockerBuildTask.java
+++ b/build-tools-internal/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/internal/docker/DockerBuildTask.java
@@ -227,6 +227,12 @@ public void execute() {
 
                 if (parameters.getPush().getOrElse(false)) {
                     spec.args("--push");
+                } else if (!isCrossPlatform) {
+                    // For single-platform builds, add --load to ensure the image is loaded into
+                    // the local Docker daemon as a regular image, not a manifest list.
+                    // This prevents issues with newer Docker versions (23.0+) that may create
+                    // manifest lists even for single-platform builds when BuildKit is enabled.
+                    spec.args("--load");
                 }
             });