diff --git a/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/HttpHandlerAutoConfiguration.java b/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/HttpHandlerAutoConfiguration.java
index 18361fceb75f..81f5930d3bf2 100644
--- a/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/HttpHandlerAutoConfiguration.java
+++ b/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/HttpHandlerAutoConfiguration.java
@@ -64,10 +64,13 @@ static class AnnotationConfig {
 		@Bean
 		HttpHandler httpHandler(ObjectProvider<WebFluxProperties> propsProvider,
 				ObjectProvider<WebHttpHandlerBuilderCustomizer> handlerBuilderCustomizers) {
+			WebFluxProperties properties = propsProvider.getIfAvailable();
 			WebHttpHandlerBuilder handlerBuilder = WebHttpHandlerBuilder.applicationContext(this.applicationContext);
+			if (properties != null) {
+				handlerBuilder.defaultHtmlEscape(properties.getDefaultHtmlEscape());
+			}
 			handlerBuilderCustomizers.orderedStream().forEach((customizer) -> customizer.customize(handlerBuilder));
 			HttpHandler httpHandler = handlerBuilder.build();
-			WebFluxProperties properties = propsProvider.getIfAvailable();
 			if (properties != null && StringUtils.hasText(properties.getBasePath())) {
 				Map<String, HttpHandler> handlersMap = Collections.singletonMap(properties.getBasePath(), httpHandler);
 				return new ContextPathCompositeHandler(handlersMap);
diff --git a/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/WebFluxProperties.java b/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/WebFluxProperties.java
index 7a5d19329247..aadd36b79ac4 100644
--- a/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/WebFluxProperties.java
+++ b/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/WebFluxProperties.java
@@ -58,6 +58,11 @@ public class WebFluxProperties {
 	 */
 	private String webjarsPathPattern = "/webjars/**";
 
+	/**
+	 * Whether default HTML escaping is enabled for the web application.
+	 */
+	private @Nullable Boolean defaultHtmlEscape;
+
 	public @Nullable String getBasePath() {
 		return this.basePath;
 	}
@@ -110,6 +115,14 @@ public void setWebjarsPathPattern(String webjarsPathPattern) {
 		this.webjarsPathPattern = webjarsPathPattern;
 	}
 
+	public @Nullable Boolean getDefaultHtmlEscape() {
+		return this.defaultHtmlEscape;
+	}
+
+	public void setDefaultHtmlEscape(@Nullable Boolean defaultHtmlEscape) {
+		this.defaultHtmlEscape = defaultHtmlEscape;
+	}
+
 	public static class Format {
 
 		/**
diff --git a/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/HttpHandlerAutoConfigurationTests.java b/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/HttpHandlerAutoConfigurationTests.java
index e2e4cb7d70ee..bcb6439fcb42 100644
--- a/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/HttpHandlerAutoConfigurationTests.java
+++ b/module/spring-boot-webflux/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/webflux/autoconfigure/HttpHandlerAutoConfigurationTests.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
 
 import org.assertj.core.api.InstanceOfAssertFactories;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.ParameterizedTest;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.ValueSource;
 import reactor.core.publisher.Mono;
 
 import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.AutoConfigurations;
@@ -35,6 +37,7 @@
 import org.springframework.web.reactive.function.server.RouterFunction;
 import org.springframework.web.reactive.function.server.ServerResponse;
 import org.springframework.web.server.WebHandler;
+import org.springframework.web.server.adapter.HttpWebHandlerAdapter;
 
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
 import static org.springframework.web.reactive.function.server.RequestPredicates.GET;
@@ -100,6 +103,29 @@ void shouldConfigureBasePathCompositeHandler() {
 			});
 	}
 
+	@ParameterizedTest
+	@ValueSource(booleans = { true, false })
+	void shouldConfigureDefaultHtmlEscape(boolean enabled) {
+		this.contextRunner.withConfiguration(AutoConfigurations.of(WebFluxAutoConfiguration.class))
+			.withPropertyValues("spring.webflux.default-html-escape=" + enabled)
+			.run((context) -> {
+				assertThat(context).hasSingleBean(HttpHandler.class);
+				assertThat(context.getBean(HttpHandler.class)).isInstanceOfSatisfying(HttpWebHandlerAdapter.class,
+						(adapter) -> assertThat(adapter.getDefaultHtmlEscape()).isEqualTo(enabled));
+			});
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void shouldNotConfigureDefaultHtmlEscaperWithoutWebFluxAutoConfiguration() {
+		this.contextRunner.withUserConfiguration(CustomWebHandler.class)
+			.withPropertyValues("spring.webflux.default-html-escape=true")
+			.run((context) -> {
+				assertThat(context).hasSingleBean(HttpHandler.class);
+				assertThat(context.getBean(HttpHandler.class)).isInstanceOfSatisfying(HttpWebHandlerAdapter.class,
+						(adapter) -> assertThat(adapter.getDefaultHtmlEscape()).isNull());
+			});
+	}
+
 	@Configuration(proxyBeanMethods = false)
 	static class CustomHttpHandler {