diff --git a/drivers/compress/zlib/meson.build b/drivers/compress/zlib/meson.build
index 7748de2df..b036703c7 100644
--- a/drivers/compress/zlib/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/compress/zlib/meson.build
@@ -9,6 +9,5 @@ endif
 deps += 'bus_vdev'
 sources = files('zlib_pmd.c', 'zlib_pmd_ops.c')
 ext_deps += dep
-pkgconfig_extra_libs += '-lz'
 
 allow_experimental_apis = true
diff --git a/drivers/crypto/ccp/meson.build b/drivers/crypto/ccp/meson.build
index e43b00591..915c4c854 100644
--- a/drivers/crypto/ccp/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/crypto/ccp/meson.build
@@ -18,4 +18,3 @@ sources = files('rte_ccp_pmd.c',
 		'ccp_pmd_ops.c')
 
 ext_deps += dep
-pkgconfig_extra_libs += '-lcrypto'
diff --git a/drivers/crypto/openssl/meson.build b/drivers/crypto/openssl/meson.build
index 77a6596d7..d56a32366 100644
--- a/drivers/crypto/openssl/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/crypto/openssl/meson.build
@@ -9,4 +9,3 @@ allow_experimental_apis = true
 deps += 'bus_vdev'
 sources = files('rte_openssl_pmd.c', 'rte_openssl_pmd_ops.c')
 ext_deps += dep
-pkgconfig_extra_libs += '-lcrypto'
diff --git a/drivers/crypto/qat/meson.build b/drivers/crypto/qat/meson.build
index 9cc98d2c2..21f969735 100644
--- a/drivers/crypto/qat/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/crypto/qat/meson.build
@@ -13,6 +13,5 @@ if dep.found()
 			     'qat_sym.c',
 			     'qat_sym_session.c')
 	qat_ext_deps += dep
-	pkgconfig_extra_libs += '-lcrypto'
 	qat_cflags += '-DBUILD_QAT_SYM'
 endif
diff --git a/drivers/meson.build b/drivers/meson.build
index e37d4fe2b..69d0556d3 100644
--- a/drivers/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/meson.build
@@ -46,10 +46,11 @@ foreach class:driver_classes
 		# set up internal deps. Drivers can append/override as necessary
 		deps = std_deps
 		# ext_deps: Stores external library dependency got
-		# using dependency() or cc.find_library(). For most cases, we
-		# probably also need to specify the "-l" flags in
-		# pkgconfig_extra_libs variable too, so that it can be reflected
-		# in the pkgconfig output for static builds
+		# using dependency() (preferred) or find_library().
+		# For the find_library() case (but not with dependency()) we also
+		# need to specify the "-l" flags in pkgconfig_extra_libs variable
+		# too, so that it can be reflected in the pkgconfig output for
+		# static builds.
 		ext_deps = []
 		pkgconfig_extra_libs = []
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/bnx2x/meson.build b/drivers/net/bnx2x/meson.build
index e3c688869..dd189ffc4 100644
--- a/drivers/net/bnx2x/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/bnx2x/meson.build
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 # Copyright(c) 2018 Intel Corporation
 
-dep = cc.find_library('z', required: false)
+dep = dependency('zlib', required: false)
 build = dep.found()
 ext_deps += dep
 cflags += '-DZLIB_CONST'
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx4/meson.build b/drivers/net/mlx4/meson.build
index 4bccd68e0..b4f9672e7 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx4/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx4/meson.build
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ if pmd_dlopen
 	]
 endif
 libs = [
-	cc.find_library('mnl', required:false),
-	cc.find_library('mlx4', required:false),
-	cc.find_library('ibverbs', required:false),
+	dependency('libmnl', required:false),
+	dependency('libmlx4', required:false),
+	dependency('libibverbs', required:false),
 ]
 build = true
 foreach lib:libs
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx5/meson.build b/drivers/net/mlx5/meson.build
index 4540c455b..0cf2f0873 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx5/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx5/meson.build
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ if pmd_dlopen
 	]
 endif
 libs = [
-	cc.find_library('mnl', required:false),
-	cc.find_library('mlx5', required:false),
-	cc.find_library('ibverbs', required:false),
+	dependency('libmnl', required:false),
+	dependency('libmlx5', required:false),
+	dependency('libibverbs', required:false),
 ]
 build = true
 foreach lib:libs
diff --git a/drivers/net/pcap/meson.build b/drivers/net/pcap/meson.build
index 0c4e0201a..89c9d7a74 100644
--- a/drivers/net/pcap/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/net/pcap/meson.build
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 # Copyright(c) 2017 Intel Corporation
 
-pcap_dep = cc.find_library('pcap', required: false)
-if pcap_dep.found() and cc.has_header('pcap.h', dependencies: pcap_dep)
+pcap_dep = dependency('pcap', required: false)
+if pcap_dep.found()
 	build = true
 else
 	build = false
 endif
 sources = files('rte_eth_pcap.c')
 ext_deps += pcap_dep
-pkgconfig_extra_libs += '-lpcap'
diff --git a/lib/librte_bpf/meson.build b/lib/librte_bpf/meson.build
index bc0cd78f9..c3b1f698e 100644
--- a/lib/librte_bpf/meson.build
+++ b/lib/librte_bpf/meson.build
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ install_headers = files('bpf_def.h',
 
 deps += ['mbuf', 'net', 'ethdev']
 
-dep = cc.find_library('elf', required: false)
-if dep.found() == true and cc.has_header('libelf.h', dependencies: dep)
+dep = dependency('libelf', required: false)
+if dep.found()
 	sources += files('bpf_load_elf.c')
 	ext_deps += dep
 endif
diff --git a/lib/librte_telemetry/meson.build b/lib/librte_telemetry/meson.build
index 9492f544e..cafb26f08 100644
--- a/lib/librte_telemetry/meson.build
+++ b/lib/librte_telemetry/meson.build
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ headers = files('rte_telemetry.h', 'rte_telemetry_internal.h', 'rte_telemetry_pa
 deps += ['metrics', 'ethdev']
 cflags += '-DALLOW_EXPERIMENTAL_API'
 
-jansson = cc.find_library('jansson', required: false)
+jansson = dependency('jansson', required: false)
 if jansson.found()
 	ext_deps += jansson
 	dpdk_app_link_libraries += ['telemetry']
