diff --git a/app/test/meson.build b/app/test/meson.build
index bb06a9243..d0d1d1998 100644
--- a/app/test/meson.build
+++ b/app/test/meson.build
@@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ cflags += ['-DALLOW_INTERNAL_API']

 test_dep_objs = []
 if dpdk_conf.has('RTE_LIB_COMPRESSDEV')
-	compress_test_dep = dependency('zlib', required: false)
+	compress_test_dep = dependency('zlib', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 	if compress_test_dep.found()
 		test_dep_objs += compress_test_dep
 		test_sources += 'test_compressdev.c'
diff --git a/config/meson.build b/config/meson.build
index a3154e29c..d699a8622 100644
--- a/config/meson.build
+++ b/config/meson.build
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ if fdt_dep.found() and cc.has_header('fdt.h')
 endif

 # check for libbsd
-libbsd = dependency('libbsd', required: false)
+libbsd = dependency('libbsd', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if libbsd.found()
 	dpdk_conf.set('RTE_USE_LIBBSD', 1)
 endif
diff --git a/drivers/common/mlx5/linux/meson.build b/drivers/common/mlx5/linux/meson.build
index 580419e6d..220de3542 100644
--- a/drivers/common/mlx5/linux/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/common/mlx5/linux/meson.build
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ endif
 libnames = [ 'mlx5', 'ibverbs' ]
 libs = []
 foreach libname:libnames
-	lib = dependency('lib' + libname, static:static_ibverbs, required:false)
+	lib = dependency('lib' + libname, static:static_ibverbs,
+			required:false, method: 'pkg-config')
 	if not lib.found() and not static_ibverbs
 		lib = cc.find_library(libname, required:false)
 	endif
diff --git a/drivers/common/mvep/meson.build b/drivers/common/mvep/meson.build
index 863a20ab9..7cd968b38 100644
--- a/drivers/common/mvep/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/common/mvep/meson.build
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 # All rights reserved.
 #

-dep = dependency('libmusdk', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libmusdk', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if not dep.found()
 	build = false
 	reason = 'missing dependency, "libmusdk"'
diff --git a/drivers/common/qat/meson.build b/drivers/common/qat/meson.build
index 29e1299f2..b2915c91f 100644
--- a/drivers/common/qat/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/common/qat/meson.build
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ if disabled_drivers.contains(qat_compress_path)
 			'Explicitly disabled via build config')
 endif

-libcrypto = dependency('libcrypto', required: false)
+libcrypto = dependency('libcrypto', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if qat_crypto and not libcrypto.found()
 	qat_crypto = false
 	dpdk_drvs_disabled += qat_crypto_path
diff --git a/drivers/compress/isal/meson.build b/drivers/compress/isal/meson.build
index 5ee17e28f..d847c2ea6 100644
--- a/drivers/compress/isal/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/compress/isal/meson.build
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 # Copyright 2018 Intel Corporation

-dep = dependency('libisal', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libisal', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if not dep.found()
 	build = false
 	reason = 'missing dependency, "libisal"'
diff --git a/drivers/compress/zlib/meson.build b/drivers/compress/zlib/meson.build
index b19a6d2b1..82cf0dddd 100644
--- a/drivers/compress/zlib/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/compress/zlib/meson.build
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 # Copyright(c) 2018 Cavium Networks

-dep = dependency('zlib', required: false)
+dep = dependency('zlib', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if not dep.found()
 	build = false
 	reason = 'missing dependency, "zlib"'
diff --git a/drivers/crypto/armv8/meson.build b/drivers/crypto/armv8/meson.build
index 3289a2adc..027173bc1 100644
--- a/drivers/crypto/armv8/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/crypto/armv8/meson.build
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 # Copyright(c) 2019 Arm Limited

-dep = dependency('libAArch64crypto', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libAArch64crypto', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if not dep.found()
 	build = false
 	reason = 'missing dependency, "libAArch64crypto"'
diff --git a/drivers/crypto/ccp/meson.build b/drivers/crypto/ccp/meson.build
index a0e0b379e..ff66427ae 100644
--- a/drivers/crypto/ccp/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/crypto/ccp/meson.build
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ if not is_linux
 	build = false
 	reason = 'only supported on Linux'
 endif
-dep = dependency('libcrypto', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libcrypto', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if not dep.found()
 	build = false
 	reason = 'missing dependency, "libcrypto"'
diff --git a/drivers/crypto/mvsam/meson.build b/drivers/crypto/mvsam/meson.build
index 384eacff0..b4c55b5ff 100644
--- a/drivers/crypto/mvsam/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/crypto/mvsam/meson.build
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # Copyright(c) 2018 Semihalf.
 # All rights reserved.

-dep = dependency('libmusdk', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libmusdk', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if not dep.found()
 	build = false
 	reason = 'missing dependency, "libmusdk"'
diff --git a/drivers/crypto/openssl/meson.build b/drivers/crypto/openssl/meson.build
index d9ac69897..47fb2bb75 100644
--- a/drivers/crypto/openssl/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/crypto/openssl/meson.build
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 # Copyright(c) 2017 Intel Corporation

-dep = dependency('libcrypto', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libcrypto', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if not dep.found()
 	build = false
 	reason = 'missing dependency, "libcrypto"'
diff --git a/drivers/crypto/qat/meson.build b/drivers/crypto/qat/meson.build
index bc90ec44c..92e0ed656 100644
--- a/drivers/crypto/qat/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/crypto/qat/meson.build
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 # driver which comes later. Here we just add our sources files to the list
 build = false
 reason = '' # sentinal value to suppress printout
-dep = dependency('libcrypto', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libcrypto', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 qat_includes += include_directories('.')
 qat_deps += 'cryptodev'
 qat_deps += 'net'
diff --git a/drivers/net/af_xdp/meson.build b/drivers/net/af_xdp/meson.build
index dce123036..60ccffabb 100644
--- a/drivers/net/af_xdp/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/af_xdp/meson.build
@@ -9,14 +9,15 @@ endif

 sources = files('rte_eth_af_xdp.c')

-bpf_dep = dependency('libbpf', required: false)
+bpf_dep = dependency('libbpf', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if not bpf_dep.found()
 	bpf_dep = cc.find_library('bpf', required: false)
 endif

 if bpf_dep.found() and cc.has_header('bpf/xsk.h') and cc.has_header('linux/if_xdp.h')
 	ext_deps += bpf_dep
-	bpf_ver_dep = dependency('libbpf', version : '>=0.2.0', required: false)
+	bpf_ver_dep = dependency('libbpf', version : '>=0.2.0',
+			required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 	if bpf_ver_dep.found()
 		dpdk_conf.set('RTE_LIBRTE_AF_XDP_PMD_SHARED_UMEM', 1)
 	endif
diff --git a/drivers/net/bnx2x/meson.build b/drivers/net/bnx2x/meson.build
index 8837ef424..e260b7592 100644
--- a/drivers/net/bnx2x/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/bnx2x/meson.build
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ if is_windows
 	subdir_done()
 endif

-dep = dependency('zlib', required: false)
+dep = dependency('zlib', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 build = dep.found()
 reason = 'missing dependency, "zlib"'
 ext_deps += dep
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx4/meson.build b/drivers/net/mlx4/meson.build
index 0cf9938a8..d7602b748 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx4/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx4/meson.build
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ endif
 libnames = [ 'mlx4', 'ibverbs' ]
 libs = []
 foreach libname:libnames
-	lib = dependency('lib' + libname, static:static_ibverbs, required:false)
+	lib = dependency('lib' + libname, static:static_ibverbs,
+			required:false, method: 'pkg-config')
 	if not lib.found() and not static_ibverbs
 		lib = cc.find_library(libname, required:false)
 	endif
diff --git a/drivers/net/mvneta/meson.build b/drivers/net/mvneta/meson.build
index 4e073e0d2..0be7b3d8b 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mvneta/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/mvneta/meson.build
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ if is_windows
 	subdir_done()
 endif

-dep = dependency('libmusdk', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libmusdk', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if not dep.found()
 	build = false
 	reason = 'missing dependency, "libmusdk"'
diff --git a/drivers/net/mvpp2/meson.build b/drivers/net/mvpp2/meson.build
index c509d8916..bfda5439b 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mvpp2/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/mvpp2/meson.build
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ if is_windows
 	subdir_done()
 endif

-dep = dependency('libmusdk', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libmusdk', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if not dep.found()
 	build = false
 	reason = 'missing dependency, "libmusdk"'
diff --git a/drivers/net/nfb/meson.build b/drivers/net/nfb/meson.build
index 42f7921dc..f4a89b87d 100644
--- a/drivers/net/nfb/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/nfb/meson.build
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ if is_windows
 	subdir_done()
 endif

-dep = dependency('netcope-common', required: false)
+dep = dependency('netcope-common', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 reason = 'missing dependency, "libnfb"'
 build = dep.found()
 ext_deps += dep
diff --git a/drivers/net/szedata2/meson.build b/drivers/net/szedata2/meson.build
index 4c02830b0..4f8f3325f 100644
--- a/drivers/net/szedata2/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/szedata2/meson.build
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ if is_windows
 	subdir_done()
 endif

-dep = dependency('libsze2', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libsze2', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 build = dep.found()
 reason = 'missing dependency, "libsze2"'
 ext_deps += dep
diff --git a/examples/vm_power_manager/meson.build b/examples/vm_power_manager/meson.build
index 1f813fbe8..637bd2323 100644
--- a/examples/vm_power_manager/meson.build
+++ b/examples/vm_power_manager/meson.build
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ opt_dep = cc.find_library('virt', required : false)
 build = opt_dep.found()
 ext_deps += opt_dep

-opt_dep = dependency('jansson', required : false)
+opt_dep = dependency('jansson', required : false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if opt_dep.found()
 	ext_deps += opt_dep
 	cflags += '-DUSE_JANSSON'
diff --git a/lib/librte_bpf/meson.build b/lib/librte_bpf/meson.build
index 48460e950..614277eff 100644
--- a/lib/librte_bpf/meson.build
+++ b/lib/librte_bpf/meson.build
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ headers = files('bpf_def.h',

 deps += ['mbuf', 'net', 'ethdev']

-dep = dependency('libelf', required: false)
+dep = dependency('libelf', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if dep.found()
 	dpdk_conf.set('RTE_LIBRTE_BPF_ELF', 1)
 	sources += files('bpf_load_elf.c')
diff --git a/lib/librte_metrics/meson.build b/lib/librte_metrics/meson.build
index eed27b880..28a8cc115 100644
--- a/lib/librte_metrics/meson.build
+++ b/lib/librte_metrics/meson.build
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 sources = files('rte_metrics.c')
 headers = files('rte_metrics.h')

-jansson = dependency('jansson', required: false)
+jansson = dependency('jansson', required: false, method: 'pkg-config')
 if jansson.found()
 	ext_deps += jansson
 	sources += files('rte_metrics_telemetry.c')
