diff --git a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/config.ts b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/config.ts
index a7dfa23eaa..7be88398cf 100644
--- a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/config.ts
+++ b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/config.ts
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ export interface KubernetesConfig extends ProviderConfig {
   gardenSystemNamespace: string
   tlsCertificates: IngressTlsCertificate[]
   certManager?: CertManagerConfig
+  clusterType?: "kind" | "minikube" | "microk8s"
   _systemServices: string[]
 }
 
diff --git a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/container/build.ts b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/container/build.ts
index 6f679ca09c..244e23cdbc 100644
--- a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/container/build.ts
+++ b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/container/build.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import { posix, resolve } from "path"
 import { KubeApi } from "../api"
 import { kubectl } from "../kubectl"
 import { LogEntry } from "../../../logger/log-entry"
-import { KubernetesProvider, ContainerBuildMode, KubernetesPluginContext } from "../config"
+import { KubernetesProvider, ContainerBuildMode, KubernetesPluginContext, KubernetesConfig } from "../config"
 import { PluginError } from "../../../exceptions"
 import { PodRunner } from "../run"
 import { getRegistryHostname, getKubernetesSystemVariables } from "../init"
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import { getPortForward } from "../port-forward"
 import { Writable } from "stream"
 import { LogLevel } from "../../../logger/log-node"
 import { exec, renderOutputStream } from "../../../util/util"
+import { loadLocalImage } from "../local/kind"
 
 const dockerDaemonDeploymentName = "garden-docker-daemon"
 const dockerDaemonContainerName = "docker-daemon"
@@ -96,6 +97,9 @@ const localBuild: BuildHandler = async (params) => {
   const buildResult = await buildContainerModule(params)
 
   if (!ctx.provider.config.deploymentRegistry) {
+    if ((ctx.provider.config as KubernetesConfig).clusterType === "kind") {
+      await loadLocalImage(buildResult, ctx.provider.config as KubernetesConfig)
+    }
     return buildResult
   }
 
diff --git a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/local/config.ts b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/local/config.ts
index a3352051c3..156dd79533 100644
--- a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/local/config.ts
+++ b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/local/config.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import { setMinikubeDockerEnv } from "./minikube"
 import { exec } from "../../../util/util"
 import { remove } from "lodash"
 import { getNfsStorageClass } from "../init"
+import { isClusterKind } from "./kind"
 
 // TODO: split this into separate plugins to handle Docker for Mac and Minikube
 
@@ -53,19 +54,19 @@ export async function configureProvider(params: ConfigureProviderParams<LocalKub
   const namespace = config.namespace!
   const _systemServices = config._systemServices
 
+  // create dummy provider with just enough info needed for the getKubeConfig function
+  const provider = {
+    name: config.name,
+    dependencies: [],
+    config,
+    moduleConfigs: [],
+    status: { ready: true, outputs: {} },
+  }
+  const kubeConfig = await getKubeConfig(log, provider)
+  const currentContext = kubeConfig["current-context"]
+
   if (!config.context) {
     // automatically detect supported kubectl context if not explicitly configured
-    // create dummy provider with just enough info needed for the getKubeConfig function
-    const provider = {
-      name: config.name,
-      dependencies: [],
-      config,
-      moduleConfigs: [],
-      status: { ready: true, outputs: {} },
-    }
-    const kubeConfig = await getKubeConfig(log, provider)
-    const currentContext = kubeConfig["current-context"]
-
     if (currentContext && supportedContexts.includes(currentContext)) {
       // prefer current context if set and supported
       config.context = currentContext
@@ -96,9 +97,14 @@ export async function configureProvider(params: ConfigureProviderParams<LocalKub
     log.debug({ section: config.name, msg: `No kubectl context configured, using default: ${config.context}` })
   }
 
+  if (await isClusterKind(provider, log)) {
+    config.clusterType = "kind"
+  }
   if (config.context === "minikube") {
     await exec("minikube", ["config", "set", "WantUpdateNotification", "false"])
 
+    config.clusterType = "minikube"
+
     if (!config.defaultHostname) {
       // use the nip.io service to give a hostname to the instance, if none is explicitly configured
       const { stdout } = await exec("minikube", ["ip"])
@@ -115,6 +121,8 @@ export async function configureProvider(params: ConfigureProviderParams<LocalKub
   } else if (config.context === "microk8s") {
     const addons = ["dns", "registry", "storage"]
 
+    config.clusterType = "microk8s"
+
     if (config.setupIngressController === "nginx") {
       log.debug("Using microk8s's ingress addon")
       addons.push("ingress")
diff --git a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/local/kind.ts b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/local/kind.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..638646be9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/local/kind.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2018 Garden Technologies, Inc. <info@garden.io>
+ *
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+ */
+
+import { exec } from "../../../util/util"
+import { LogEntry } from "../../../logger/log-entry"
+import { safeLoad } from "js-yaml"
+import { BuildResult } from "../../../types/plugin/module/build"
+import { KubernetesConfig, KubernetesProvider } from "../config"
+import { RuntimeError } from "../../../exceptions"
+import { KubeApi } from "../api"
+import { KubernetesResource } from "../types"
+
+export async function loadLocalImage(buildResult: BuildResult, config: KubernetesConfig): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    const clusterName = await getClusterForContext(config.context)
+    if (clusterName !== null) {
+      await exec("kind", ["load", "docker-image", buildResult.details.identifier, `--name=${clusterName}`])
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    throw new RuntimeError(
+      `An attempt to load image ${buildResult.details.identifier} into the kind cluster failed: ${err.message}`,
+      { err }
+    )
+  }
+}
+
+export async function isClusterKind(provider: KubernetesProvider, log: LogEntry): Promise<boolean> {
+  return (await isKindInstalled(log)) && (await isKindContext(log, provider))
+}
+
+async function isKindInstalled(log: LogEntry): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    const kindVersion = (await exec("kind", ["version"])).stdout
+    log.debug(`Found kind with the following version details ${kindVersion}`)
+    return true
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.debug(`An attempt to get kind version failed with ${err}`)
+  }
+
+  return false
+}
+
+async function isKindContext(log: LogEntry, provider: KubernetesProvider): Promise<boolean> {
+  const kubeApi = await KubeApi.factory(log, provider)
+  const manifest: KubernetesResource = {
+    apiVersion: "apps/v1",
+    kind: "DaemonSet",
+    metadata: {
+      name: "kindnet",
+    },
+  }
+  try {
+    await kubeApi.readBySpec("kube-system", manifest, log)
+    return true
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.debug(`An attempt to get kindnet deamonset failed with ${err}`)
+  }
+
+  return false
+}
+
+async function getKindClusters(): Promise<Array<string>> {
+  try {
+    const clusters = (await exec("kind", ["get", "clusters"])).stdout
+    if (clusters) {
+      return clusters.split("\n")
+    }
+    return []
+  } catch (err) {}
+  return []
+}
+
+async function getClusterForContext(context: string) {
+  for (let cluster of await getKindClusters()) {
+    if (await isContextAMatch(cluster, context)) {
+      return cluster
+    }
+  }
+  return null
+}
+
+async function isContextAMatch(cluster: string, context: string): Promise<Boolean> {
+  try {
+    const kubeConfigString = (await exec("kind", ["get", "kubeconfig", `--name=${cluster}`])).stdout
+    const kubeConfig = safeLoad(kubeConfigString)
+    return kubeConfig["current-context"] === context
+  } catch (err) {}
+  return false
+}