diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/zlib/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/zlib/default.nix
index 91cd037e0e33..9b9938746caf 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/zlib/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/zlib/default.nix
@@ -40,6 +40,10 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (rec {
       --replace 'ARFLAGS="-o"' 'ARFLAGS="-r"'
   '';
 
+  patches = [
+    ./fix-configure-issue-cross.patch
+  ];
+
   outputs = [ "out" "dev" ]
     ++ lib.optional splitStaticOutput "static";
   setOutputFlags = false;
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/zlib/fix-configure-issue-cross.patch b/pkgs/development/libraries/zlib/fix-configure-issue-cross.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0136071eabe7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/zlib/fix-configure-issue-cross.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+From 05796d3d8d5546cf1b4dfe2cd72ab746afae505d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Mark Adler <madler@alumni.caltech.edu>
+Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2022 18:34:10 -0700
+Subject: [PATCH] Fix configure issue that discarded provided CC definition.
+
+---
+ configure | 3 +++
+ 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)
+
+diff --git a/configure b/configure
+index 52ff4a04e..3fa3e8618 100755
+--- a/configure
++++ b/configure
+@@ -174,7 +174,10 @@ if test -z "$CC"; then
+   else
+     cc=${CROSS_PREFIX}cc
+   fi
++else
++  cc=${CC}
+ fi
++
+ cflags=${CFLAGS-"-O3"}
+ # to force the asm version use: CFLAGS="-O3 -DASMV" ./configure
+ case "$cc" in