diff --git a/include/cmake.mk b/include/cmake.mk
index 96c4d7df3479f..8a1c4fc4d5db7 100644
--- a/include/cmake.mk
+++ b/include/cmake.mk
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 cmake_bool = $(patsubst %,-D%:BOOL=$(if $($(1)),ON,OFF),$(2))
 
+ifeq ($(PKG_USE_NINJA),1)
+  PKG_BUILD_PARALLEL ?= 1
+endif
+ifeq ($(HOST_USE_NINJA),1)
+  HOST_BUILD_PARALLEL ?= 1
+endif
 PKG_INSTALL:=1
 
 ifneq ($(findstring c,$(OPENWRT_VERBOSE)),)
@@ -44,6 +50,34 @@ CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH:=$(STAGING_DIR)/usr;$(TOOLCHAIN_DIR)$(if $(CONFIG_EXTERNAL_
 CMAKE_HOST_FIND_ROOT_PATH:=$(STAGING_DIR)/host;$(STAGING_DIR_HOSTPKG);$(STAGING_DIR_HOST)
 CMAKE_SHARED_LDFLAGS:=-Wl,-Bsymbolic-functions
 
+ifeq ($(HOST_USE_NINJA),1)
+  CMAKE_HOST_OPTIONS += -DCMAKE_GENERATOR="Ninja"
+
+  define Host/Compile/Default
+	+$(NINJA) -C $(HOST_BUILD_DIR) $(1)
+  endef
+
+  define Host/Install/Default
+	+DESTDIR="$(HOST_INSTALL_DIR)" $(NINJA) -C $(HOST_BUILD_DIR) install
+  endef
+
+  define Host/Uninstall/Default
+	+DESTDIR="$(HOST_INSTALL_DIR)" $(NINJA) -C $(HOST_BUILD_DIR) uninstall
+  endef
+endif
+
+ifeq ($(PKG_USE_NINJA),1)
+  CMAKE_OPTIONS += -DCMAKE_GENERATOR="Ninja"
+
+  define Build/Compile/Default
+	+$(NINJA) -C $(CMAKE_BINARY_DIR) $(1)
+  endef
+
+  define Build/Install/Default
+	+DESTDIR="$(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)" $(NINJA) -C $(CMAKE_BINARY_DIR) install
+  endef
+endif
+
 define Build/Configure/Default
 	mkdir -p $(CMAKE_BINARY_DIR)
 	(cd $(CMAKE_BINARY_DIR); \
diff --git a/rules.mk b/rules.mk
index 51f822e3f1c5f..8b24d3a3bb416 100644
--- a/rules.mk
+++ b/rules.mk
@@ -342,6 +342,12 @@ else
     $(SCRIPT_DIR)/rstrip.sh
 endif
 
+NINJA = \
+	MAKEFLAGS="$(MAKE_JOBSERVER)" \
+	$(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/ninja \
+		$(if $(findstring c,$(OPENWRT_VERBOSE)),-v) \
+		$(if $(MAKE_JOBSERVER),,-j1)
+
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_IPV6),y)
   DISABLE_IPV6:=
 else
diff --git a/tools/Makefile b/tools/Makefile
index 8752a3e2b5139..47a82fd237828 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile
+++ b/tools/Makefile
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ endif
 tools-y += autoconf autoconf-archive automake bc bison cmake dosfstools
 tools-y += e2fsprogs fakeroot findutils firmware-utils flex gengetopt
 tools-y += libressl libtool lzma m4 make-ext4fs missing-macros mkimage
-tools-y += mklibs mm-macros mtd-utils mtools padjffs2 patch-image
+tools-y += mklibs mm-macros mtd-utils mtools ninja meson padjffs2 patch-image
 tools-y += patchelf pkgconf quilt squashfskit4 sstrip zip zlib zstd
 tools-$(BUILD_B43_TOOLS) += b43-tools
 tools-$(BUILD_ISL) += isl
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ $(curdir)/libressl/compile := $(curdir)/pkgconf/compile
 $(curdir)/libtool/compile := $(curdir)/m4/compile $(curdir)/autoconf/compile $(curdir)/automake/compile $(curdir)/missing-macros/compile
 $(curdir)/lzma-old/compile := $(curdir)/zlib/compile
 $(curdir)/make-ext4fs/compile := $(curdir)/zlib/compile
+$(curdir)/meson/compile := $(curdir)/ninja/compile
 $(curdir)/missing-macros/compile := $(curdir)/autoconf/compile
 $(curdir)/mkimage/compile += $(curdir)/libressl/compile
 $(curdir)/mklibs/compile := $(curdir)/libtool/compile