diff --git a/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/index.js b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/index.js
index 10ee7b75b..fb1bbdd71 100644
--- a/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/index.js
+++ b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/index.js
@@ -336,8 +336,13 @@ module.exports = {
             this.fastboot = new FastBoot(fastbootOptions);
           }
 
+          let appConfig = this._getHostAppConfig();
+
           let fastbootMiddleware = FastBootExpressMiddleware({
-            fastboot: this.fastboot
+            fastboot: this.fastboot,
+            visitOptions: {
+              renderMode: appConfig.fastboot.renderMode
+            }
           });
 
           fastbootMiddleware(req, resp, next);
diff --git a/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/lib/broccoli/fastboot-config.js b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/lib/broccoli/fastboot-config.js
index 0f7e5b659..099d6aadc 100644
--- a/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/lib/broccoli/fastboot-config.js
+++ b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/lib/broccoli/fastboot-config.js
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ module.exports = class FastBootConfig extends Plugin {
     this.fastbootConfig[appConfigModule] = options.appConfig;
     this._fileToChecksumMap = {};
 
+    if (options.appConfig.fastboot) {
+      this.renderMode = options.appConfig.fastboot.renderMode;
+    }
+
     if (this.fastbootAppConfig && this.fastbootAppConfig.htmlFile) {
       this.htmlFile = this.fastbootAppConfig.htmlFile;
     } else {
@@ -174,6 +178,7 @@ module.exports = class FastBootConfig extends Plugin {
         schemaVersion: LATEST_SCHEMA_VERSION,
         manifest: this.manifest,
         hostWhitelist: this.normalizeHostWhitelist(),
+        renderMode: this.renderMode,
         config: this.fastbootConfig,
         appName: this.appName,
       }
diff --git a/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fastboot-rendermode-config-test.js b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fastboot-rendermode-config-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8574c778e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fastboot-rendermode-config-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const expect = require('chai').use(require('chai-string')).expect;
+const RSVP = require('rsvp');
+const request = RSVP.denodeify(require('request'));
+
+const AddonTestApp = require('ember-cli-addon-tests').AddonTestApp;
+
+describe('FastBoot renderMode config', function() {
+  this.timeout(400000);
+
+  let app;
+
+  before(function() {
+    app = new AddonTestApp();
+
+    return app.create('fastboot-rendermode-config', { emberVersion: 'latest'})
+      .then(function() {
+        return app.startServer({
+          command: 'serve'
+        });
+      });
+  });
+
+  after(function() {
+    return app.stopServer();
+  });
+
+  it('uses rehydration when rendermode is serialize', function() {
+    return request({
+      url: 'http://localhost:49741/dynamic',
+      headers: {
+        'Accept': 'text/html'
+      }
+    })
+      .then(function(response) {
+        expect(response.statusCode).to.equal(200);
+        expect(response.headers['content-type']).to.equalIgnoreCase('text/html; charset=utf-8');
+        expect(response.body).to.contain('<!--%+b:7%-->magic<!--%-b:7%-->');
+      });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/app/router.js b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/app/router.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..119742add
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/app/router.js
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import Ember from 'ember';
+
+let Router = Ember.Router;
+
+Router.map(function() {
+  this.route('dynamic');
+});
+
+export default Router;
diff --git a/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/app/routes/dynamic.js b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/app/routes/dynamic.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..62166fb1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/app/routes/dynamic.js
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import Ember from 'ember';
+
+export default Ember.Route.extend({
+  model() {
+    return 'magic';
+  }
+});
diff --git a/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/app/templates/dynamic.hbs b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/app/templates/dynamic.hbs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cd4d5d026
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/app/templates/dynamic.hbs
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<h1>This should be a dynamic page!</h1>
+
+<p>And the most dynamic word is: {{@model}}</p>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/config/environment.js b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/config/environment.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..af2e2491a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ember-cli-fastboot/test/fixtures/fastboot-rendermode-config/config/environment.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+'use strict';
+
+module.exports = function(environment) {
+  var ENV = {
+    rootURL: '/',
+    locationType: 'auto',
+    environment: environment,
+    modulePrefix: 'fastboot-rendermode-config',
+    fastboot: {
+      hostWhitelist: [/localhost:\d+/],
+      renderMode: 'serialize',
+    }
+  };
+
+  return ENV;
+};
diff --git a/packages/fastboot/src/ember-app.js b/packages/fastboot/src/ember-app.js
index 3299a229a..2716c9886 100644
--- a/packages/fastboot/src/ember-app.js
+++ b/packages/fastboot/src/ember-app.js
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ class EmberApp {
     this.appName = config.appName;
     this.html = config.html;
     this.sandboxRequire = config.sandboxRequire;
+    this.renderMode = config.renderMode;
 
     if (process.env.APP_CONFIG) {
       let appConfig = JSON.parse(process.env.APP_CONFIG);
@@ -298,7 +299,10 @@ class EmberApp {
     let buildSandboxPerVisit = options.buildSandboxPerVisit || false;
 
     let shouldRender = options.shouldRender !== undefined ? options.shouldRender : true;
-    let bootOptions = buildBootOptions(shouldRender);
+    let renderMode = process.env.EXPERIMENTAL_RENDER_MODE_SERIALIZE
+      ? 'serialize'
+      : options.renderMode || this.renderMode;
+    let bootOptions = buildBootOptions(shouldRender, renderMode);
     let fastbootInfo = new FastBootInfo(req, res, {
       hostWhitelist: this.hostWhitelist,
       metadata: options.metadata,
@@ -355,17 +359,16 @@ class EmberApp {
  * Builds an object with the options required to boot an ApplicationInstance in
  * FastBoot mode.
  */
-function buildBootOptions(shouldRender) {
+function buildBootOptions(shouldRender, renderMode) {
   let doc = new SimpleDOM.Document();
   let rootElement = doc.body;
-  let _renderMode = process.env.EXPERIMENTAL_RENDER_MODE_SERIALIZE ? 'serialize' : undefined;
 
   return {
     isBrowser: false,
     document: doc,
     rootElement,
     shouldRender,
-    _renderMode,
+    _renderMode: renderMode,
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/fastboot/src/fastboot-schema.js b/packages/fastboot/src/fastboot-schema.js
index 91fcede9c..bff19d809 100644
--- a/packages/fastboot/src/fastboot-schema.js
+++ b/packages/fastboot/src/fastboot-schema.js
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ function loadConfig(distPath) {
     scripts,
     html,
     hostWhitelist: pkg.fastboot.hostWhitelist,
+    renderMode: pkg.fastboot.renderMode,
     config,
     appName,
     sandboxRequire,