diff --git a/lib/classes/Service.js b/lib/classes/Service.js
index d87ff5a1f74..39872c72bbc 100644
--- a/lib/classes/Service.js
+++ b/lib/classes/Service.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ class Service {
     this.serviceObject = null;
     this.provider = {
       stage: 'dev',
-      variableSyntax: '\\${([^{}:]+?(?:\\(|:)[^:{}][^{}]*?)}',
+      variableSyntax: '\\${([^{}:]+?(?:\\(|:)(?:[^:{}][^{}]*?)?)}',
     };
     this.custom = {};
     this.plugins = [];
diff --git a/lib/classes/Variables.test.js b/lib/classes/Variables.test.js
index 7eb09d04b42..e4ea2c55dd3 100644
--- a/lib/classes/Variables.test.js
+++ b/lib/classes/Variables.test.js
@@ -2769,5 +2769,8 @@ module.exports = {
     it('should support ${self:key} syntax', () => {
       expect(processedConfig.custom.selfReference).to.equal('bar');
     });
+    it('should support ${self:} syntax', () => {
+      expect(processedConfig.custom.serviceReference).to.equal(processedConfig);
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/test/fixtures/variables/serverless.yml b/test/fixtures/variables/serverless.yml
index dc34906a217..c1f51d93906 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/variables/serverless.yml
+++ b/test/fixtures/variables/serverless.yml
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ custom:
   awsVariable: ${AWS::Region}
   cloudFormationReference: ${AnotherResource}
   selfReference: ${self:custom.importedFileWithKey}
+  serviceReference: ${self:}