diff --git a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/aca_ingress.go b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/aca_ingress.go
index 00464b398f1..c16217ad5e4 100644
--- a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/aca_ingress.go
+++ b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/aca_ingress.go
@@ -251,6 +251,7 @@ func pickIngress(endpointByTargetPortProperties map[string]*acaPort, httpIngress
 		finalIngress.TargetPort = props.port
 		if finalIngress.TargetPort == 0 {
 			finalIngress.TargetPort = defaultPort
+			finalIngress.UsingDefaultPort = true
 		}
 		finalIngress.Transport = acaIngressSchemaHttp
 		if props.hasHttp2 {
diff --git a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/aca_ingress_test.go b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/aca_ingress_test.go
index 3971adb4f21..19e6fd95d79 100644
--- a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/aca_ingress_test.go
+++ b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/aca_ingress_test.go
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ func TestBuildAcaIngress(t *testing.T) {
 			Transport:              acaIngressTransportHttp2,
 			AllowInsecure:          true,
 			AdditionalPortMappings: []genContainerAppIngressAdditionalPortMappings(nil),
+			UsingDefaultPort:       true,
 		}
 		ingress, ingressBinding, err := buildAcaIngress(bindings, 8080)
 		assert.NoError(t, err)
@@ -176,6 +177,7 @@ func TestBuildAcaIngress(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 			},
+			UsingDefaultPort: true,
 		}
 		ingress, ingressBinding, err := buildAcaIngress(bindings, 8080)
 		assert.NoError(t, err)
diff --git a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/generate.go b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/generate.go
index 0141da80315..536aee712d2 100644
--- a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/generate.go
+++ b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/generate.go
@@ -178,7 +178,19 @@ func ContainerAppManifestTemplateForProject(
 
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 
-	tmplCtx := generator.containerAppTemplateContexts[projectName]
+	type yamlTemplateCtx struct {
+		genContainerAppManifestTemplateContext
+		TargetPortExpression string
+	}
+	tCtx := generator.containerAppTemplateContexts[projectName]
+	tmplCtx := yamlTemplateCtx{
+		genContainerAppManifestTemplateContext: tCtx,
+		TargetPortExpression:                   fmt.Sprintf("{{ targetPortOrDefault %d }}", tCtx.Ingress.TargetPort),
+	}
+	if tCtx.Ingress.TargetPort != 0 && !tCtx.Ingress.UsingDefaultPort {
+		// not using default port makes this to be a non-changing value
+		tmplCtx.TargetPortExpression = fmt.Sprintf("%d", tCtx.Ingress.TargetPort)
+	}
 
 	err := genTemplates.ExecuteTemplate(&buf, "containerApp.tmpl.yaml", tmplCtx)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/generate_types.go b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/generate_types.go
index 328703087b0..cdd8eae7fca 100644
--- a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/generate_types.go
+++ b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/generate_types.go
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ type genContainerAppIngress struct {
 	genContainerAppIngressPort
 	Transport              string
 	AllowInsecure          bool
+	UsingDefaultPort       bool
 	AdditionalPortMappings []genContainerAppIngressAdditionalPortMappings
 }
 
diff --git a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-kafka.snap b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-kafka.snap
index 1ad9c25dddc..4aa86219d30 100644
--- a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-kafka.snap
+++ b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-kafka.snap
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ properties:
         autoConfigureDataProtection: true
     ingress:
       external: false
-      targetPort: {{ targetPortOrDefault 9092 }}
+      targetPort: 9092
       exposedPort: 6000
       transport: tcp
       allowInsecure: false
diff --git a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-my-sql-abstract.snap b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-my-sql-abstract.snap
index 0f3a0932268..32f741b9eb1 100644
--- a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-my-sql-abstract.snap
+++ b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-my-sql-abstract.snap
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ properties:
         autoConfigureDataProtection: true
     ingress:
       external: false
-      targetPort: {{ targetPortOrDefault 3306 }}
+      targetPort: 3306
       transport: tcp
       allowInsecure: false
     registries:
diff --git a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-noVolume.snap b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-noVolume.snap
index c5473480c96..b8cc2a4690c 100644
--- a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-noVolume.snap
+++ b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireContainerGeneration-noVolume.snap
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ properties:
         autoConfigureDataProtection: true
     ingress:
       external: false
-      targetPort: {{ targetPortOrDefault 3306 }}
+      targetPort: 3306
       transport: tcp
       allowInsecure: false
     registries:
diff --git a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireDockerGeneration-nodeapp.snap b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireDockerGeneration-nodeapp.snap
index 65565585a02..a4c05edb20b 100644
--- a/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireDockerGeneration-nodeapp.snap
+++ b/cli/azd/pkg/apphost/testdata/TestAspireDockerGeneration-nodeapp.snap
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ properties:
         autoConfigureDataProtection: true
     ingress:
       external: true
-      targetPort: {{ targetPortOrDefault 3000 }}
+      targetPort: 3000
       transport: http
       allowInsecure: false
     registries:
diff --git a/cli/azd/resources/apphost/templates/containerApp.tmpl.yamlt b/cli/azd/resources/apphost/templates/containerApp.tmpl.yamlt
index 1a9f6ea027a..411e1bc4670 100644
--- a/cli/azd/resources/apphost/templates/containerApp.tmpl.yamlt
+++ b/cli/azd/resources/apphost/templates/containerApp.tmpl.yamlt
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ properties:
 {{- end}}
 {{- end}}
       external: {{ .Ingress.External }}
-      targetPort: {{ "{{ targetPortOrDefault " }}{{ .Ingress.TargetPort }}{{ " }}" }}
+      targetPort: {{ .TargetPortExpression }}
 {{- if gt .Ingress.ExposedPort 0 }}
       exposedPort: {{ .Ingress.ExposedPort }}
 {{- end}}
diff --git a/cli/azd/test/functional/testdata/snaps/aspire-full/AspireAzdTests.AppHost/infra/pubsub.tmpl.yaml b/cli/azd/test/functional/testdata/snaps/aspire-full/AspireAzdTests.AppHost/infra/pubsub.tmpl.yaml
index 5ab8afb66e1..0a8f0404fb1 100644
--- a/cli/azd/test/functional/testdata/snaps/aspire-full/AspireAzdTests.AppHost/infra/pubsub.tmpl.yaml
+++ b/cli/azd/test/functional/testdata/snaps/aspire-full/AspireAzdTests.AppHost/infra/pubsub.tmpl.yaml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ properties:
         autoConfigureDataProtection: true
     ingress:
       external: false
-      targetPort: {{ targetPortOrDefault 6379 }}
+      targetPort: 6379
       transport: tcp
       allowInsecure: false
     registries: