diff --git a/.changeset/large-items-crash.md b/.changeset/large-items-crash.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d7a6eeec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/large-items-crash.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@t3-oss/env-nextjs": patch
+---
+
+fix: ensure NODE_ENV is present in build output
diff --git a/packages/nextjs/index.ts b/packages/nextjs/index.ts
index 31715e96..dd734a23 100644
--- a/packages/nextjs/index.ts
+++ b/packages/nextjs/index.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ export function createEnv<
     : {
         ...process.env,
         ...opts.experimental__runtimeEnv,
+        NODE_ENV: process.env.NODE_ENV,
       };
 
   return createEnvCore<ClientPrefix, TServer, TClient>({