diff --git a/packages/webpack-cli/lib/utils/flag-defaults.js b/packages/webpack-cli/lib/utils/flag-defaults.js
index 0aa2996f98f..c2484fb53ea 100644
--- a/packages/webpack-cli/lib/utils/flag-defaults.js
+++ b/packages/webpack-cli/lib/utils/flag-defaults.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ const cacheDefaults = (finalConfig, parsedArgs, outputOptions) => {
     // eslint-disable-next-line no-prototype-builtins
     const hasCache = finalConfig.hasOwnProperty('cache');
     let cacheConfig = {};
-    if (hasCache && (parsedArgs.config || outputOptions.defaultConfig)) {
+    if (hasCache && (parsedArgs.config || (outputOptions && outputOptions.defaultConfig))) {
         if (finalConfig.cache && finalConfig.cache.type === 'filesystem') {
             cacheConfig.buildDependencies = {
                 config: parsedArgs.config || [outputOptions.defaultConfig],