diff --git a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/board/coreos/minikube/users b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/board/coreos/minikube/users
index 8e967e11f1df..cdff9ff1f997 100644
--- a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/board/coreos/minikube/users
+++ b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/board/coreos/minikube/users
@@ -1 +1 @@
-docker 1000 docker 1000 =tcuser /home/docker /bin/bash wheel,vboxsf -
+docker 1000 docker 1000 =tcuser /home/docker /bin/bash wheel,vboxsf,podman -
diff --git a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/Config.in b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/Config.in
index dc7a8c85c247..e1ee83243a2e 100644
--- a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/Config.in
+++ b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/Config.in
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 menu "System tools"
     source "$BR2_EXTERNAL_MINIKUBE_PATH/package/runc-master/Config.in"
     source "$BR2_EXTERNAL_MINIKUBE_PATH/package/podman/Config.in"
-    source "$BR2_EXTERNAL_MINIKUBE_PATH/package/varlink/Config.in"
     source "$BR2_EXTERNAL_MINIKUBE_PATH/package/conmon/Config.in"
     source "$BR2_EXTERNAL_MINIKUBE_PATH/package/crio-bin/Config.in"
     source "$BR2_EXTERNAL_MINIKUBE_PATH/package/crictl-bin/Config.in"
diff --git a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/override.conf b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/override.conf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b762370a4a61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/override.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+[Socket]
+SocketMode=0660
+SocketUser=root
+SocketGroup=podman
diff --git a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.conf b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.conf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..8e31190ab857
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.conf
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+d /run/podman 0770 root podman
diff --git a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.hash b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.hash
index 29f2e1a33820..3d5a50be25e5 100644
--- a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.hash
+++ b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.hash
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 sha256 a16846fe076aaf2c9ea2e854c3baba9fb838d916be7fb4b5be332e6c92d907d4 v1.9.3.tar.gz
+sha256 5ebaa6e0dbd7fd1863f70d2bc71dc8a94e195c3339c17e3cac4560c9ec5747f8 v2.1.1.tar.gz
diff --git a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.mk b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.mk
index a5c297b7f2a8..7c76bcfbcb70 100644
--- a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.mk
+++ b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/podman/podman.mk
@@ -1,12 +1,15 @@
-PODMAN_DUMMY = DUMMY
-PODMAN_VERSION = v1.9.3
-PODMAN_COMMIT = 5d44534fff6877b1cb15b760242279ae6293154c
+PODMAN_VERSION = v2.1.1
+PODMAN_COMMIT = 9f6d6ba0b314d86521b66183c9ce48eaa2da1de2
 PODMAN_SITE = https://github.com/containers/podman/archive
 PODMAN_SOURCE = $(PODMAN_VERSION).tar.gz
 PODMAN_LICENSE = Apache-2.0
 PODMAN_LICENSE_FILES = LICENSE
 
 PODMAN_DEPENDENCIES = host-go
+ifeq ($(BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD),y)
+# need libsystemd for journal
+PODMAN_DEPENDENCIES += systemd
+endif
 
 PODMAN_GOPATH = $(@D)/_output
 PODMAN_BIN_ENV = \
@@ -17,11 +20,24 @@ PODMAN_BIN_ENV = \
 	PATH=$(PODMAN_GOPATH)/bin:$(BR_PATH)
 
 
+define PODMAN_USERS
+	- -1 podman -1 - - - - -
+endef
+
+define PODMAN_MOD_VENDOR_MAKEFILE
+	# "build flag -mod=vendor only valid when using modules"
+	sed -e 's|-mod=vendor ||' -i $(@D)/Makefile
+endef
+
+PODMAN_POST_EXTRACT_HOOKS += PODMAN_MOD_VENDOR_MAKEFILE
+
 define PODMAN_CONFIGURE_CMDS
+	mkdir -p $(PODMAN_GOPATH) && mv $(@D)/vendor $(PODMAN_GOPATH)/src
+
 	mkdir -p $(PODMAN_GOPATH)/src/github.com/containers
-	ln -sf $(@D) $(PODMAN_GOPATH)/src/github.com/containers/libpod
-	mkdir -p $(PODMAN_GOPATH)/src/github.com/varlink
-	ln -sf $(@D)/vendor/github.com/varlink/go $(PODMAN_GOPATH)/src/github.com/varlink/go
+	ln -sf $(@D) $(PODMAN_GOPATH)/src/github.com/containers/podman
+
+	ln -sf $(@D) $(PODMAN_GOPATH)/src/github.com/containers/podman/v2
 endef
 
 define PODMAN_BUILD_CMDS
@@ -35,4 +51,21 @@ define PODMAN_INSTALL_TARGET_CMDS
 	$(INSTALL) -m 644 $(@D)/cni/87-podman-bridge.conflist $(TARGET_DIR)/etc/cni/net.d/87-podman-bridge.conflist
 endef
 
+define PODMAN_INSTALL_INIT_SYSTEMD
+	$(INSTALL) -D -m 644 \
+			$(@D)/contrib/systemd/system/podman.service \
+			$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/systemd/system/podman.service
+	$(INSTALL) -D -m 644 \
+			$(@D)/contrib/systemd/system/podman.socket \
+			$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/systemd/system/podman.socket
+
+	# Allow running podman-remote as a user in the group "podman"
+	$(INSTALL) -D -m 644 \
+			$(PODMAN_PKGDIR)/override.conf \
+			$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/systemd/system/podman.socket.d/override.conf
+	$(INSTALL) -D -m 644 \
+			$(PODMAN_PKGDIR)/podman.conf \
+			$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/podman.conf
+endef
+
 $(eval $(generic-package))
diff --git a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/varlink/Config.in b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/varlink/Config.in
deleted file mode 100644
index ef047e156017..000000000000
--- a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/varlink/Config.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-config BR2_PACKAGE_VARLINK
-	bool "varlink"
-	default y
diff --git a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/varlink/varlink.hash b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/varlink/varlink.hash
deleted file mode 100644
index 64b07416e65d..000000000000
--- a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/varlink/varlink.hash
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-sha256 3857f109574750403b233b5fdf73f1852d8decc33dac8f73bd49f2003b69ad22 16.tar.gz
-sha256 0dcb451f32033154c56710c216e67f245923fe2b011321271f6670e5a2285ce6 17.tar.gz
-sha256 7a32543643116ad105da4ddb2f8030de7dcad1cdb3feb1a214ae5e7b65a6a198 18.tar.gz
-sha256 0e316138ef6abc34363b05d0caf6df2e389a93b832e8d971e3ae64b48ba96133 19.tar.gz
diff --git a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/varlink/varlink.mk b/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/varlink/varlink.mk
deleted file mode 100644
index 06a26e788f40..000000000000
--- a/deploy/iso/minikube-iso/package/varlink/varlink.mk
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-VARLINK_VERSION = 19
-VARLINK_SITE = https://github.com/varlink/libvarlink/archive
-VARLINK_SOURCE = $(VARLINK_VERSION).tar.gz
-VARLINK_LICENSE = Apache-2.0
-VARLINK_LICENSE_FILES = LICENSE
-
-VARLINK_NEEDS_HOST_PYTHON = python3
-
-$(eval $(meson-package))