diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index f572d93e77..0ab47b6a0e 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ subdir('drivers')
 # build binaries and installable tools
 subdir('usertools')
 subdir('app')
+subdir('test')
 
 # build any examples explicitly requested - useful for developers
 if get_option('examples') != ''
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index f2558feca3..1a674aa50f 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -18,3 +18,5 @@ option('per_library_versions', type: 'boolean', value: true,
 	description: 'true: each lib gets its own version number, false: DPDK version used for each lib')
 option('use_hpet', type: 'boolean', value: false,
 	description: 'use HPET timer in EAL')
+option('tests', type: 'boolean', value: true,
+	description: 'build unit tests')
diff --git a/test/meson.build b/test/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3ad11b34f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+# Copyright(c) 2017 Intel Corporation
+
+subdir('test')
diff --git a/test/test/meson.build b/test/test/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0ff568f8b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+# Copyright(c) 2017 Intel Corporation
+
+test_sources = files('commands.c',
+	'packet_burst_generator.c',
+	'test.c',
+	'test_acl.c',
+	'test_alarm.c',
+	'test_atomic.c',
+	'test_byteorder.c',
+	'test_cmdline.c',
+	'test_cmdline_cirbuf.c',
+	'test_cmdline_etheraddr.c',
+	'test_cmdline_ipaddr.c',
+	'test_cmdline_lib.c',
+	'test_cmdline_num.c',
+	'test_cmdline_portlist.c',
+	'test_cmdline_string.c',
+	'test_common.c',
+	'test_cpuflags.c',
+	'test_crc.c',
+	'test_cycles.c',
+	'test_debug.c',
+	'test_devargs.c',
+	'test_distributor.c',
+	'test_distributor_perf.c',
+	'test_eal_flags.c',
+	'test_eal_fs.c',
+	'test_efd.c',
+	'test_efd_perf.c',
+	'test_errno.c',
+	'test_event_ring.c',
+	'test_eventdev.c',
+	'test_func_reentrancy.c',
+	'test_hash.c',
+	'test_hash_functions.c',
+	'test_hash_multiwriter.c',
+	'test_hash_perf.c',
+	'test_hash_scaling.c',
+	'test_interrupts.c',
+	'test_kni.c',
+	'test_kvargs.c',
+	'test_logs.c',
+	'test_lpm.c',
+	'test_lpm6.c',
+	'test_lpm6_perf.c',
+	'test_lpm_perf.c',
+	'test_malloc.c',
+	'test_mbuf.c',
+	'test_memcpy.c',
+	'test_memcpy_perf.c',
+	'test_memory.c',
+	'test_mempool.c',
+	'test_mempool_perf.c',
+	'test_memzone.c',
+	'test_meter.c',
+	'test_mp_secondary.c',
+	'test_per_lcore.c',
+	'test_pmd_perf.c',
+	'test_power.c',
+	'test_power_acpi_cpufreq.c',
+	'test_power_kvm_vm.c',
+	'test_prefetch.c',
+	'test_red.c',
+	'test_reorder.c',
+	'test_ring.c',
+	'test_ring_perf.c',
+	'test_rwlock.c',
+	'test_sched.c',
+	'test_service_cores.c',
+	'test_spinlock.c',
+	'test_string_fns.c',
+	'test_table.c',
+	'test_table_acl.c',
+	'test_table_combined.c',
+	'test_table_pipeline.c',
+	'test_table_ports.c',
+	'test_table_tables.c',
+	'test_tailq.c',
+	'test_thash.c',
+	'test_timer.c',
+	'test_timer_perf.c',
+	'test_timer_racecond.c',
+	'test_version.c',
+	'virtual_pmd.c'
+)
+
+test_deps = ['acl',
+	'cfgfile',
+	'cmdline',
+	'cryptodev',
+	'distributor',
+	'efd',
+	'ethdev',
+	'eventdev',
+	'hash',
+	'lpm',
+	'pipeline',
+	'port',
+	'power',
+	'reorder',
+	'ring',
+	'timer'
+]
+
+test_names = [
+	'acl_autotest',
+	'alarm_autotest',
+	'atomic_autotest',
+	'byteorder_autotest',
+	'cmdline_autotest',
+	'common_autotest',
+	'cpuflags_autotest',
+	'crc_autotest',
+	'cycles_autotest',
+	'debug_autotest',
+	'devargs_autotest',
+	'distributor_autotest',
+	'distributor_perf_autotest',
+	'eal_flags_autotest',
+	'eal_fs_autotest',
+	'efd_autotest',
+	'efd_perf_autotest',
+	'errno_autotest',
+	'event_ring_autotest',
+	'eventdev_common_autotest',
+	'eventdev_octeontx_autotest',
+	'eventdev_sw_autotest',
+	'func_reentrancy_autotest',
+	'hash_scaling_autotest',
+	'hash_autotest',
+	'hash_functions_autotest',
+	'hash_multiwriter_autotest',
+	'hash_perf_autotest',
+	'interrupt_autotest',
+	'kni_autotest',
+	'kvargs_autotest',
+	'logs_autotest',
+	'lpm6_autotest',
+	'lpm6_perf_autotest',
+	'lpm_autotest',
+	'lpm_perf_autotest',
+	'malloc_autotest',
+	'mbuf_autotest',
+	'memcpy_autotest',
+	'memcpy_perf_autotest',
+	'memory_autotest',
+	'mempool_autotest',
+	'mempool_perf_autotest',
+	'memzone_autotest',
+	'meter_autotest',
+	'multiprocess_autotest',
+	'per_lcore_autotest',
+	'pmd_perf_autotest',
+	'power_acpi_cpufreq_autotest',
+	'power_autotest',
+	'power_kvm_vm_autotest',
+	'prefetch_autotest',
+	'red_all',
+	'red_autotest',
+	'red_perf',
+	'reorder_autotest',
+	'ring_autotest',
+	'ring_perf_autotest',
+	'rwlock_autotest',
+	'sched_autotest',
+	'service_autotest',
+	'spinlock_autotest',
+	'table_autotest',
+	'tailq_autotest',
+	'thash_autotest',
+	'timer_autotest',
+	'timer_perf__autotest',
+	'timer_racecond_autotest',
+	'user_delay_us',
+	'version_autotest',
+]
+
+if dpdk_conf.has('RTE_LIBRTE_PDUMP')
+	test_deps += 'pdump'
+endif
+if dpdk_conf.has('RTE_LIBRTE_I40E_PMD')
+	test_deps += 'pmd_i40e'
+endif
+if dpdk_conf.has('RTE_LIBRTE_IXGBE_PMD')
+	test_deps += 'pmd_ixgbe'
+endif
+
+test_dep_objs = []
+foreach d:test_deps
+	def_lib = get_option('default_library')
+	test_dep_objs += get_variable(def_lib + '_rte_' + d)
+endforeach
+
+link_libs = []
+if get_option('default_library') == 'static'
+	link_libs = dpdk_drivers
+endif
+
+if get_option('tests')
+	dpdk_test = executable('dpdk-test',
+		test_sources,
+		link_whole: link_libs,
+		dependencies: test_dep_objs,
+		c_args: [machine_arg, '-DALLOW_EXPERIMENTAL_API'],
+		install_rpath: driver_install_path,
+		install: false)
+
+	# some perf tests (eg: memcpy perf autotest)take very long
+	# to complete, so timeout to 10 minutes
+	timeout_seconds = 600
+
+	foreach t:test_names
+		test(t, dpdk_test,
+			env : ['DPDK_TEST='+t],
+			timeout : timeout_seconds,
+			is_parallel : false)
+	endforeach
+endif