diff --git a/.changeset/lazy-rehype-shiki-highlighter.md b/.changeset/lazy-rehype-shiki-highlighter.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..42d4e5da2c7d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/lazy-rehype-shiki-highlighter.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@node-core/rehype-shiki': patch
+---
+
+Only import every bundled grammar when the plugin isn't given a highlighter
diff --git a/packages/rehype-shiki/src/__tests__/plugin.test.mjs b/packages/rehype-shiki/src/__tests__/plugin.test.mjs
index c6e5b6d6f5713..b120ecb86d4f7 100644
--- a/packages/rehype-shiki/src/__tests__/plugin.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/rehype-shiki/src/__tests__/plugin.test.mjs
@@ -1,6 +1,21 @@
 import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { registerHooks } from 'node:module';
 import { describe, it, mock } from 'node:test';
 
+// The modules loaded from here on, to tell whether the default highlighter,
+// which imports every grammar Shiki bundles, was loaded
+const loaded = new Set();
+
+registerHooks({
+  load(url, context, nextLoad) {
+    loaded.add(new URL(url).pathname);
+
+    return nextLoad(url, context);
+  },
+});
+
+const defaultHighlighter = new URL('../index.mjs', import.meta.url).pathname;
+
 // Simplified mocks - only mock what's actually needed
 mock.module('../index.mjs', {
   defaultExport: () => ({ highlightToHast: mock.fn(() => ({ children: [] })) }),
@@ -23,6 +38,15 @@ describe('rehypeShikiji', async () => {
   const { default: rehypeShikiji } = await import('../plugin.mjs');
   const mockTree = { type: 'root', children: [] };
 
+  // Runs first, as the cases after it load the default highlighter
+  it('only loads the default highlighter without a highlighter', async () => {
+    await rehypeShikiji({ highlighter: { highlightToHast: mock.fn() } });
+    assert.ok(!loaded.has(defaultHighlighter));
+
+    await rehypeShikiji();
+    assert.ok(loaded.has(defaultHighlighter));
+  });
+
   it('calls visit twice', async () => {
     mockVisit.mock.resetCalls();
     (await rehypeShikiji())(mockTree);
diff --git a/packages/rehype-shiki/src/plugin.mjs b/packages/rehype-shiki/src/plugin.mjs
index 384ecbfb07b0f..1309d73089c06 100644
--- a/packages/rehype-shiki/src/plugin.mjs
+++ b/packages/rehype-shiki/src/plugin.mjs
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@ import classNames from 'classnames';
 import { toString } from 'hast-util-to-string';
 import { SKIP, visit } from 'unist-util-visit';
 
-import createHighlighter from '#rs/index.mjs';
-
 // This is what Remark will use as prefix within a <pre> className
 // to attribute the current language of the <pre> element
 const languagePrefix = 'language-';
@@ -57,8 +55,15 @@ function isCodeBlock(node) {
  * @param {import('#rs/index.mjs').HighlighterOptions & { highlighter: import('#rs/highlighter.mjs').SyntaxHighlighter }} options
  */
 export default async function rehypeShikiji(options) {
-  const highlighter =
-    options?.highlighter ?? (await createHighlighter(options));
+  let highlighter = options?.highlighter;
+
+  // Loaded only when no highlighter is given, as it imports every grammar
+  // Shiki bundles as soon as it's loaded
+  if (!highlighter) {
+    const { default: createHighlighter } = await import('#rs/index.mjs');
+
+    highlighter = await createHighlighter(options);
+  }
 
   return function (tree) {
     visit(tree, 'element', (_, index, parent) => {