diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/c-ares/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/c-ares/default.nix
index 42023990c9e1..20ec00f4a8fc 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/c-ares/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/c-ares/default.nix
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   nativeBuildInputs = lib.optionals withCMake [ cmake ];
 
+  cmakeFlags = [] ++ lib.optionals stdenv.hostPlatform.isStatic [
+    "-DCARES_SHARED=OFF"
+    "-DCARES_STATIC=ON"
+  ];
+
   enableParallelBuilding = true;
 
   passthru.tests = {