diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/vowpalwabbit/default.nix b/pkgs/development/python-modules/vowpalwabbit/default.nix
index 5dbf58739c75..10187ec4eb33 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/python-modules/vowpalwabbit/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/vowpalwabbit/default.nix
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
 
   # As we disable configure via cmake, pass explicit global options to enable
   # spdlog and fmt packages
-  setupPyGlobalFlags = [ "--cmake-options=\"-DSPDLOG_SYS_DEP=ON;-DFMT_SYS_DEP=ON\"" ];
+  setupPyGlobalFlags = [ "--cmake-options=-DSPDLOG_SYS_DEP=ON;-DFMT_SYS_DEP=ON" ];
 
   propagatedBuildInputs = [
     numpy