diff --git a/test/meson.build b/test/meson.build
index f20a79aa0..a1dc7840d 100644
--- a/test/meson.build
+++ b/test/meson.build
@@ -336,6 +336,11 @@ if curl_dep.found()
     include_directories: inc,
     dependencies: [
       curl_dep,
+
+      # Explicitly linking with zlib here works around a linker
+      # failure on Windows, because our Windows CURL build is
+      # statically linked and thus declares no dependency on zlib
+      zlib_dep,
     ],
   )