diff --git a/functions/configuration.sh b/functions/configuration.sh
index 29e045794..2c1b47a01 100755
--- a/functions/configuration.sh
+++ b/functions/configuration.sh
@@ -489,6 +489,8 @@ Prepare_config ()
 	LB_BOOTSTRAP_QEMU_ARCHITECTURE="${LB_BOOTSTRAP_QEMU_ARCHITECTURE:-}"
 	LB_BOOTSTRAP_QEMU_EXCLUDE="${LB_BOOTSTRAP_QEMU_EXCLUDE:-}"
 	LB_BOOTSTRAP_QEMU_STATIC="${LB_BOOTSTRAP_QEMU_STATIC:-}"
+
+	DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE="${DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE:-debootstrap}"
 }
 
 Validate_config ()
@@ -768,6 +770,11 @@ Validate_config_permitted_values ()
 			exit 1
 		fi
 	fi
+
+	if ! In_list "${DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE}" debootstrap mmdebstrap; then
+		Echo_error "You have specified an invalid value for DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE (--debootstrap-engine)."
+		exit 1;
+	fi
 }
 
 # Check option combinations and other extra stuff
@@ -800,6 +807,18 @@ Validate_config_dependencies ()
 		fi
 	fi
 
+	if [ "${DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE}" = 'mmdebstrap' ]; then
+		if [ -n "${DEBOOTSTRAP_SCRIPT}" ]; then
+			Echo_error "mmdebstrap is not compatible with a non-empty DEBOOTSTRAP_SCRIPT option (--debootstrap-script)."
+			exit 1
+		fi
+
+		if [ "${LB_APT_SECURE}" = 'false' ]; then
+			Echo_error "mmdebstrap is not compatible with an LB_APT_SECURE (--apt-secure) option that is set to 'false'."
+			exit 1
+		fi
+	fi
+
 	Validate_http_proxy
 }
 
diff --git a/manpages/en/lb_config.1 b/manpages/en/lb_config.1
index c51d5781e..3231e8d52 100644
--- a/manpages/en/lb_config.1
+++ b/manpages/en/lb_config.1
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@
 	[\fB\-\-debian\-installer\-gui\fR true|false]
 .br
 	[\fB\-\-debian\-installer\-preseedfile\fR \fIFILE\fR|\fIURL\fR]
+.br
+	[\fB\-\-debootstrap\-engine\fR \fIdebootstrap\fR|\fImmdebstrap\fR]
 .br
 	[\fB\-\-debootstrap\-options\fR \fIOPTION\fR|"\fIOPTIONS\fR"]
 .br
@@ -324,6 +326,8 @@ defines the distribution where the debian\-installer files should be taken out f
 defines whether the graphical version of the debian\-installer should be provided alongside the text based one. This defaults to true.
 .IP "\fB\-\-debian\-installer\-preseedfile\fR \fIFILE\fR|\fIURL\fR" 4
 sets the filename or URL for an optionally used and included preseeding file for debian\-installer. If config/binary_debian\-installer/preseed.cfg exists, it will be used by default. 
+.IP "\fB\-\-debootstrap\-engine\fR \fIdebootstrap\fR|\fImmdebstrap\fR" 4
+sets the debootstrap implementation to use. Currently debootstrap and mmdebstrap are supported.
 .IP "\fB\-\-debootstrap\-options\fR \fIOPTION\fR|""\fIOPTIONS\fR""" 4
 passes the given options to debootstrap when setting up the base system.
 .IP "\fB\-\-debootstrap\-script\fR \fISCRIPT\fR" 4
diff --git a/scripts/build/bootstrap_debootstrap b/scripts/build/bootstrap_debootstrap
index d2a453d73..8f1ec473e 100755
--- a/scripts/build/bootstrap_debootstrap
+++ b/scripts/build/bootstrap_debootstrap
@@ -15,16 +15,25 @@ set -e
 [ -e "${LIVE_BUILD}/scripts/build.sh" ] && . "${LIVE_BUILD}/scripts/build.sh" || . /usr/lib/live/build.sh
 
 # Setting static variables
-DESCRIPTION="Bootstrap a Debian system with debootstrap(8)"
+DESCRIPTION="Bootstrap a Debian system with debootstrap(8) or mmdebstrap(1)"
 USAGE="${PROGRAM} [--force]"
 
 # Processing arguments and configuration files
 Init_config_data "${@}"
 
-if ! command -v debootstrap >/dev/null
+if [ "${DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE}" = 'debootstrap' ]
 then
-	Echo_error "debootstrap - command not found"
-	exit 1
+	if ! command -v debootstrap >/dev/null
+	then
+		Echo_error "debootstrap - command not found"
+		exit 1
+	fi
+else
+	if ! command -v mmdebstrap >/dev/null
+	then
+		Echo_error "mmdebstrap - command not found"
+		exit 1
+	fi
 fi
 
 Echo_message "Begin bootstrapping system..."
@@ -75,26 +84,37 @@ fi
 
 if [ "${LB_CACHE_PACKAGES}" = "true" ]
 then
-	if ls cache/packages.bootstrap/*.deb > /dev/null 2>&1
+	if [ "${DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE}" = 'debootstrap' ]
 	then
-		mkdir -p chroot/var/cache/apt/archives
-		cp cache/packages.bootstrap/*.deb chroot/var/cache/apt/archives
+		if ls cache/packages.bootstrap/*.deb > /dev/null 2>&1
+		then
+			mkdir -p chroot/var/cache/apt/archives
+			cp cache/packages.bootstrap/*.deb chroot/var/cache/apt/archives
+		fi
+
+		Print_breakage
+
+		Echo_message "Running debootstrap (download-only)..."
+		debootstrap ${DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS} --download-only "${LB_PARENT_DISTRIBUTION_CHROOT}" chroot "${LB_PARENT_MIRROR_BOOTSTRAP}" ${DEBOOTSTRAP_SCRIPT}
+
+		# Removing old cache
+		rm -f cache/packages.bootstrap/*.deb
+
+		# Saving new cache
+		mkdir -p cache/packages.bootstrap
+		cp chroot/var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb cache/packages.bootstrap
+	else
+		Echo_message "Using mmdebstrap, skipping caching of bootstrap packages."
 	fi
-
-	Print_breakage
-	Echo_message "Running debootstrap (download-only)..."
-	debootstrap ${DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS} --download-only "${LB_PARENT_DISTRIBUTION_CHROOT}" chroot "${LB_PARENT_MIRROR_BOOTSTRAP}" ${DEBOOTSTRAP_SCRIPT}
-
-	# Removing old cache
-	rm -f cache/packages.bootstrap/*.deb
-
-	# Saving new cache
-	mkdir -p cache/packages.bootstrap
-	cp chroot/var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb cache/packages.bootstrap
 fi
 
 Print_breakage
-Echo_message "Running debootstrap..."
+if [ "${DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE}" = 'debootstrap' ]
+then
+	Echo_message "Running debootstrap..."
+else
+	Echo_message "Running mmdebstrap..."
+fi
 
 # Run appropriate bootstrap, i.e. foreign or regular bootstrap
 if [ -n "${LB_BOOTSTRAP_QEMU_ARCHITECTURE}" ]; then
@@ -105,12 +125,22 @@ if [ -n "${LB_BOOTSTRAP_QEMU_ARCHITECTURE}" ]; then
 	fi
 
 	Echo_message "Bootstrap will be foreign"
-	debootstrap ${DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS} --foreign "${LB_PARENT_DISTRIBUTION_CHROOT}" chroot "${LB_PARENT_MIRROR_BOOTSTRAP}" ${DEBOOTSTRAP_SCRIPT}
+	if [ "${DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE}" = 'debootstrap' ]
+	then
+		debootstrap ${DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS} --foreign "${LB_PARENT_DISTRIBUTION_CHROOT}" chroot "${LB_PARENT_MIRROR_BOOTSTRAP}" ${DEBOOTSTRAP_SCRIPT}
 
-	Echo_message "Running debootstrap second stage under QEMU"
-	Chroot chroot /bin/sh /debootstrap/debootstrap --second-stage ${FOREIGN_DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS}
+		Echo_message "Running debootstrap second stage under QEMU"
+		Chroot chroot /bin/sh /debootstrap/debootstrap --second-stage ${FOREIGN_DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS}
+	else
+		mmdebstrap ${DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS} "${LB_PARENT_DISTRIGBUTION_CHROOT}" chroot "${LB_PARENT_MIRROR_BOOTSTRAP}"
+	fi
 else
-	debootstrap ${DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS} "${LB_PARENT_DISTRIBUTION_CHROOT}" chroot "${LB_PARENT_MIRROR_BOOTSTRAP}" ${DEBOOTSTRAP_SCRIPT}
+	if [ "${DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE}" = 'debootstrap' ]
+	then
+		debootstrap ${DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS} "${LB_PARENT_DISTRIBUTION_CHROOT}" chroot "${LB_PARENT_MIRROR_BOOTSTRAP}" ${DEBOOTSTRAP_SCRIPT}
+	else
+		mmdebstrap ${DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS} "${LB_PARENT_DISTRIBUTION_CHROOT}" chroot "${LB_PARENT_MIRROR_BOOTSTRAP}"
+	fi
 fi
 
 # If there's an os-release file, copy it to /etc/ and add some extra fields that identify the live image
diff --git a/scripts/build/config b/scripts/build/config
index 680fde01e..f9b41edb5 100755
--- a/scripts/build/config
+++ b/scripts/build/config
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ USAGE="${PROGRAM} [--apt apt|apt-get|aptitude]\n\
 \t    [--debian-installer-distribution daily|CODENAME]\n\
 \t    [--debian-installer-gui true|false]\n\
 \t    [--debian-installer-preseedfile FILE|URL]\n\
+\t    [--debootstrap-engine debootstrap|mmdebstrap]\n\
 \t    [--debootstrap-options OPTION|\"OPTIONS\"]\n\
 \t    [--debootstrap-script SCRIPT]\n\
 \t    [--debug]\n\
@@ -147,7 +148,8 @@ Local_arguments ()
 		chroot-squashfs-compression-type:,clean,color,compression:,conffile:,
 		config:,debconf-frontend:,debconf-priority:,debian-installer:,
 		debian-installer-distribution:,debian-installer-gui:,
-		debian-installer-preseedfile:,debootstrap-options:,debootstrap-script:,
+		debian-installer-preseedfile:,debootstrap-engine:,
+		debootstrap-options:,debootstrap-script:,
 		debug,dm-verity,dm-verity-fec:,dm-verity-sign:,
 		distribution:,distribution-binary:,distribution-chroot:,dump,
 		fdisk:,firmware-binary:,firmware-chroot:,force,
@@ -467,6 +469,11 @@ Local_arguments ()
 				shift 2
 				;;
 
+			--debootstrap-engine)
+				DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE="${2}"
+				shift 2
+				;;
+
 			--debootstrap-options)
 				DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS="${2}"
 				shift 2
@@ -1040,6 +1047,9 @@ APT_OPTIONS="${APT_OPTIONS}"
 # Set options to use with aptitude
 APTITUDE_OPTIONS="${APTITUDE_OPTIONS}"
 
+# Set debootstrap implementation to use
+DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE="${DEBOOTSTRAP_ENGINE}"
+
 # Set options to use with debootstrap
 DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS="${DEBOOTSTRAP_OPTIONS}"