diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 08048d2102..91f9421549 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ PROJECT_BUG_URL = $(PROJECT_URL)/kata-containers/issues/new
 BIN_PREFIX = $(PROJECT_TYPE)
 PROJECT_DIR = $(PROJECT_TAG)
 IMAGENAME = $(PROJECT_TAG).img
+INITRDNAME = $(PROJECT_TAG)-initrd.img
 
 TARGET = $(BIN_PREFIX)-runtime
 TARGET_OUTPUT = $(CURDIR)/$(TARGET)
@@ -77,6 +78,7 @@ PKGRUNDIR := $(LOCALSTATEDIR)/run/$(PROJECT_DIR)
 PKGLIBEXECDIR := $(LIBEXECDIR)/$(PROJECT_DIR)
 
 KERNELPATH := $(PKGDATADIR)/vmlinuz.container
+INITRDPATH := $(PKGDATADIR)/$(INITRDNAME)
 IMAGEPATH := $(PKGDATADIR)/$(IMAGENAME)
 FIRMWAREPATH :=
 
@@ -140,6 +142,8 @@ USER_VARS += DESTSYSCONFIG
 USER_VARS += DESTTARGET
 USER_VARS += IMAGENAME
 USER_VARS += IMAGEPATH
+USER_VARS += INITRDNAME
+USER_VARS += INITRDPATH
 USER_VARS += MACHINETYPE
 USER_VARS += KERNELPATH
 USER_VARS += FIRMWAREPATH
@@ -244,6 +248,7 @@ var showConfigPathsOption = fmt.Sprintf("%s-show-default-config-paths", projectP
 var defaultHypervisorPath = "$(QEMUPATH)"
 var defaultImagePath = "$(IMAGEPATH)"
 var defaultKernelPath = "$(KERNELPATH)"
+var defaultInitrdPath = "$(INITRDPATH)"
 var defaultFirmwarePath = "$(FIRMWAREPATH)"
 var defaultMachineAccelerators = "$(MACHINEACCELERATORS)"
 var defaultShimPath = "$(SHIMPATH)"
@@ -319,6 +324,7 @@ $(GENERATED_FILES): %: %.in Makefile VERSION
 		-e "s|@DESTSYSCONFIG@|$(DESTSYSCONFIG)|g" \
 		-e "s|@IMAGEPATH@|$(IMAGEPATH)|g" \
 		-e "s|@KERNELPATH@|$(KERNELPATH)|g" \
+		-e "s|@INITRDPATH@|$(INITRDPATH)|g" \
 		-e "s|@FIRMWAREPATH@|$(FIRMWAREPATH)|g" \
 		-e "s|@MACHINEACCELERATORS@|$(MACHINEACCELERATORS)|g" \
 		-e "s|@KERNELPARAMS@|$(KERNELPARAMS)|g" \
diff --git a/cli/config.go b/cli/config.go
index 3efa509056..e22f857e8c 100644
--- a/cli/config.go
+++ b/cli/config.go
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ type tomlConfig struct {
 type hypervisor struct {
 	Path                  string `toml:"path"`
 	Kernel                string `toml:"kernel"`
+	Initrd                string `toml:"initrd"`
 	Image                 string `toml:"image"`
 	Firmware              string `toml:"firmware"`
 	MachineAccelerators   string `toml:"machine_accelerators"`
@@ -131,11 +132,21 @@ func (h hypervisor) kernel() (string, error) {
 	return resolvePath(p)
 }
 
+func (h hypervisor) initrd() (string, error) {
+	p := h.Initrd
+
+	if p == "" {
+		return "", nil
+	}
+
+	return resolvePath(p)
+}
+
 func (h hypervisor) image() (string, error) {
 	p := h.Image
 
 	if p == "" {
-		p = defaultImagePath
+		return "", nil
 	}
 
 	return resolvePath(p)
@@ -267,6 +278,11 @@ func newQemuHypervisorConfig(h hypervisor) (vc.HypervisorConfig, error) {
 		return vc.HypervisorConfig{}, err
 	}
 
+	initrd, err := h.initrd()
+	if err != nil {
+		return vc.HypervisorConfig{}, err
+	}
+
 	image, err := h.image()
 	if err != nil {
 		return vc.HypervisorConfig{}, err
@@ -289,6 +305,7 @@ func newQemuHypervisorConfig(h hypervisor) (vc.HypervisorConfig, error) {
 	return vc.HypervisorConfig{
 		HypervisorPath:        hypervisor,
 		KernelPath:            kernel,
+		InitrdPath:            initrd,
 		ImagePath:             image,
 		FirmwarePath:          firmware,
 		MachineAccelerators:   machineAccelerators,
@@ -393,6 +410,7 @@ func loadConfiguration(configPath string, ignoreLogging bool) (resolvedConfigPat
 		HypervisorPath:        defaultHypervisorPath,
 		KernelPath:            defaultKernelPath,
 		ImagePath:             defaultImagePath,
+		InitrdPath:            defaultInitrdPath,
 		FirmwarePath:          defaultFirmwarePath,
 		MachineAccelerators:   defaultMachineAccelerators,
 		HypervisorMachineType: defaultMachineType,
diff --git a/cli/config/configuration.toml.in b/cli/config/configuration.toml.in
index fc6532c8c8..e3416adaa9 100644
--- a/cli/config/configuration.toml.in
+++ b/cli/config/configuration.toml.in
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 [hypervisor.qemu]
 path = "@QEMUPATH@"
 kernel = "@KERNELPATH@"
+initrd = "@INITRDPATH@"
 image = "@IMAGEPATH@"
 machine_type = "@MACHINETYPE@"
 
diff --git a/cli/config_test.go b/cli/config_test.go
index 3ba31d17d5..54f358179b 100644
--- a/cli/config_test.go
+++ b/cli/config_test.go
@@ -514,6 +514,7 @@ func TestMinimalRuntimeConfig(t *testing.T) {
 		HypervisorPath:        defaultHypervisorPath,
 		KernelPath:            defaultKernelPath,
 		ImagePath:             defaultImagePath,
+		InitrdPath:            defaultInitrdPath,
 		HypervisorMachineType: defaultMachineType,
 		DefaultVCPUs:          defaultVCPUCount,
 		DefaultMemSz:          defaultMemSize,
@@ -757,6 +758,44 @@ func TestHypervisorDefaultsKernel(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(h.kernelParams(), kernelParams, "custom hypervisor kernel parameterms wrong")
 }
 
+// The default initrd path is not returned by h.initrd()
+func TestHypervisorDefaultsInitrd(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	tmpdir, err := ioutil.TempDir(testDir, "")
+	assert.NoError(err)
+	defer os.RemoveAll(tmpdir)
+
+	testInitrdPath := filepath.Join(tmpdir, "initrd")
+	testInitrdLinkPath := filepath.Join(tmpdir, "initrd-link")
+
+	err = createEmptyFile(testInitrdPath)
+	assert.NoError(err)
+
+	err = syscall.Symlink(testInitrdPath, testInitrdLinkPath)
+	assert.NoError(err)
+
+	savedInitrdPath := defaultInitrdPath
+
+	defer func() {
+		defaultInitrdPath = savedInitrdPath
+	}()
+
+	defaultInitrdPath = testInitrdPath
+	h := hypervisor{}
+	p, err := h.initrd()
+	assert.NoError(err)
+	assert.Equal(p, "", "default Image path wrong")
+
+	// test path resolution
+	defaultInitrdPath = testInitrdLinkPath
+	h = hypervisor{}
+	p, err = h.initrd()
+	assert.NoError(err)
+	assert.Equal(p, "")
+}
+
+// The default image path is not returned by h.image()
 func TestHypervisorDefaultsImage(t *testing.T) {
 	assert := assert.New(t)
 
@@ -783,14 +822,14 @@ func TestHypervisorDefaultsImage(t *testing.T) {
 	h := hypervisor{}
 	p, err := h.image()
 	assert.NoError(err)
-	assert.Equal(p, defaultImagePath, "default Image path wrong")
+	assert.Equal(p, "", "default Image path wrong")
 
 	// test path resolution
 	defaultImagePath = testImageLinkPath
 	h = hypervisor{}
 	p, err = h.image()
 	assert.NoError(err)
-	assert.Equal(p, testImagePath)
+	assert.Equal(p, "")
 }
 
 func TestProxyDefaults(t *testing.T) {