diff --git a/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif_defaults.h b/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif_defaults.h
index b215aca1dc..dee5cae807 100644
--- a/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif_defaults.h
+++ b/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif_defaults.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2015-2024 Espressif Systems (Shanghai) CO LTD
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2015-2025 Espressif Systems (Shanghai) CO LTD
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
  */
@@ -52,7 +52,8 @@ extern "C" {
         .if_key = "WIFI_STA_DEF", \
         .if_desc = "sta", \
         .route_prio = 100, \
-        .bridge_info = NULL \
+        .bridge_info = NULL, \
+        .mtu = 0 \
      }  \
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_ESP_WIFI_SOFTAP_SUPPORT
@@ -66,7 +67,8 @@ extern "C" {
         .if_key = "WIFI_AP_DEF", \
         .if_desc = "ap", \
         .route_prio = 10, \
-        .bridge_info = NULL \
+        .bridge_info = NULL, \
+        .mtu = 0 \
     }
 #endif
 
@@ -79,7 +81,8 @@ extern "C" {
         .lost_ip_event = 0, \
         .if_key = "WIFI_NAN_DEF", \
         .if_desc = "nan", \
-        .route_prio = 10 \
+        .route_prio = 10, \
+        .mtu = 0 \
     };
 
 #define ESP_NETIF_INHERENT_DEFAULT_ETH() \
@@ -92,7 +95,8 @@ extern "C" {
         .if_key = "ETH_DEF", \
         .if_desc = "eth", \
         .route_prio = 50, \
-        .bridge_info = NULL \
+        .bridge_info = NULL, \
+        .mtu = 0 \
     }
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_PPP_SUPPORT
@@ -106,7 +110,8 @@ extern "C" {
         .if_key = "PPP_DEF",    \
         .if_desc = "ppp",   \
         .route_prio = 20,  \
-        .bridge_info = NULL \
+        .bridge_info = NULL, \
+        .mtu = 0 \
     }
 #endif /* CONFIG_PPP_SUPPORT */
 
@@ -120,7 +125,8 @@ extern "C" {
         .if_key = "BR0", \
         .if_desc = "br0", \
         .route_prio = 70, \
-        .bridge_info = NULL \
+        .bridge_info = NULL, \
+        .mtu = 0 \
     }
 
 #define ESP_NETIF_INHERENT_DEFAULT_BR_DHCPS() \
@@ -133,7 +139,8 @@ extern "C" {
         .if_key = "BR1", \
         .if_desc = "br1", \
         .route_prio = 70, \
-        .bridge_info = NULL \
+        .bridge_info = NULL, \
+        .mtu = 0 \
     }
 
 /**
diff --git a/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif_types.h b/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif_types.h
index 7205eedcc3..850ed4e5b0 100644
--- a/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif_types.h
+++ b/components/esp_netif/include/esp_netif_types.h
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@ typedef struct esp_netif_inherent_config {
                                           A higher value of route_prio indicates
                                           a higher priority */
     bridgeif_config_t *bridge_info;  /*!< LwIP bridge configuration */
+    uint16_t mtu;                    /*!< Optional initial MTU (bytes). 0 = use stack default */
 } esp_netif_inherent_config_t;
 
 typedef struct esp_netif_config esp_netif_config_t;
diff --git a/components/esp_netif/loopback/esp_netif_loopback.c b/components/esp_netif/loopback/esp_netif_loopback.c
index 2e7393e925..af858b764c 100644
--- a/components/esp_netif/loopback/esp_netif_loopback.c
+++ b/components/esp_netif/loopback/esp_netif_loopback.c
@@ -488,13 +488,11 @@ esp_netif_t *esp_netif_get_handle_from_ifkey(const char *if_key)
 // MTU control is not supported in loopback build.
 esp_err_t esp_netif_set_mtu(esp_netif_t *esp_netif, uint16_t mtu)
 {
-    ESP_LOGD(TAG, "%s esp_netif:%p mtu:%u", __func__, esp_netif, (unsigned)mtu);
     return ESP_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED;
 }
 
 esp_err_t esp_netif_get_mtu(esp_netif_t *esp_netif, uint16_t *mtu)
 {
-    ESP_LOGD(TAG, "%s esp_netif:%p", __func__, esp_netif);
     return ESP_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED;
 }
 #endif /* CONFIG_ESP_NETIF_LOOPBACK */
diff --git a/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip.c b/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip.c
index 1713846e9d..120dd3ab78 100644
--- a/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip.c
+++ b/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip.c
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #include "lwip/priv/tcpip_priv.h"
 #include "lwip/netif.h"
 #include "lwip/etharp.h"
+#include "lwip/prot/ip4.h"
 #if CONFIG_ESP_NETIF_BRIDGE_EN
 #include "netif/bridgeif.h"
 #endif // CONFIG_ESP_NETIF_BRIDGE_EN
@@ -672,6 +673,9 @@ static err_t netif_mld_mac_filter_cb(struct netif *netif, const ip6_addr_t *grou
 
 static esp_err_t esp_netif_init_configuration(esp_netif_t *esp_netif, const esp_netif_config_t *cfg)
 {
+#define MAX_MTU_SIZE 9000   /* lwip doesn't have a global maximum, 9000 is selected as a reasonable max MTU for most cases
+                               it is possible to override this upper bound by runtime configuration esp_netif_set_mtu() */
+
     // Basic esp_netif and lwip is a mandatory configuration and cannot be updated after esp_netif_new()
     if (cfg == NULL || cfg->base == NULL || cfg->stack == NULL) {
         return ESP_ERR_ESP_NETIF_INVALID_PARAMS;
@@ -703,6 +707,12 @@ static esp_err_t esp_netif_init_configuration(esp_netif_t *esp_netif, const esp_
     if (cfg->base->route_prio) {
         esp_netif->route_prio = cfg->base->route_prio;
     }
+    // Store initial MTU preference (applied after netif_add()). 0 keeps stack default.
+    if (cfg->base->mtu >= IP_HLEN && cfg->base->mtu <= MAX_MTU_SIZE) {
+        esp_netif->configured_mtu = cfg->base->mtu;
+    } else {
+        esp_netif->configured_mtu = 0;
+    }
 
 #if CONFIG_ESP_NETIF_BRIDGE_EN
     // Setup bridge configuration if the interface is to be bridge
@@ -1001,6 +1011,10 @@ static esp_err_t esp_netif_lwip_add(esp_netif_t *esp_netif)
 #if CONFIG_ESP_NETIF_BRIDGE_EN
     }
 #endif // CONFIG_ESP_NETIF_BRIDGE_EN
+    // Apply configured MTU (if provided) after netif has been added and initialized
+    if (esp_netif->configured_mtu) {
+        esp_netif->lwip_netif->mtu = esp_netif->configured_mtu;
+    }
     if (esp_netif->driver_set_mac_filter) {
 #if LWIP_IPV4 && LWIP_IGMP
         netif_set_igmp_mac_filter(esp_netif->lwip_netif, netif_igmp_mac_filter_cb);
@@ -2701,9 +2715,6 @@ esp_err_t esp_netif_get_netif_impl_name(esp_netif_t *esp_netif, char* name)
 static esp_err_t esp_netif_set_mtu_api(esp_netif_api_msg_t *msg)
 {
     esp_netif_t *esp_netif = msg->esp_netif;
-    if (esp_netif == NULL || esp_netif->lwip_netif == NULL || msg->data == NULL) {
-        return ESP_ERR_ESP_NETIF_INVALID_PARAMS;
-    }
     uint16_t mtu = *(uint16_t *)msg->data;
     esp_netif->lwip_netif->mtu = mtu;
     return ESP_OK;
@@ -2715,6 +2726,11 @@ esp_err_t esp_netif_set_mtu(esp_netif_t *esp_netif, uint16_t mtu)
     if (esp_netif == NULL || esp_netif->lwip_netif == NULL) {
         return ESP_ERR_ESP_NETIF_INVALID_PARAMS;
     }
+    /* Validate MTU is at least large enough for IP header */
+    if (mtu < IP_HLEN) {
+        ESP_LOGE(TAG, "MTU is too small, must be at least %d", IP_HLEN);
+        return ESP_ERR_ESP_NETIF_INVALID_PARAMS;
+    }
     return esp_netif_lwip_ipc_call(esp_netif_set_mtu_api, esp_netif, &mtu);
 }
 
diff --git a/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip_internal.h b/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip_internal.h
index 332934d3b0..878c2b61bb 100644
--- a/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip_internal.h
+++ b/components/esp_netif/lwip/esp_netif_lwip_internal.h
@@ -123,6 +123,8 @@ struct esp_netif_obj {
 #ifdef CONFIG_ESP_NETIF_SET_DNS_PER_DEFAULT_NETIF
     ip_addr_t dns[DNS_MAX_SERVERS];
 #endif
+    // initial MTU preference to apply after netif_add(); 0 means use stack default
+    uint16_t configured_mtu;
 };
 
 typedef enum esp_netif_set_default_state {
diff --git a/components/esp_netif/test_apps/test_app_esp_netif/main/esp_netif_test_lwip.c b/components/esp_netif/test_apps/test_app_esp_netif/main/esp_netif_test_lwip.c
index 9dcd8c6623..b6e007154f 100644
--- a/components/esp_netif/test_apps/test_app_esp_netif/main/esp_netif_test_lwip.c
+++ b/components/esp_netif/test_apps/test_app_esp_netif/main/esp_netif_test_lwip.c
@@ -658,6 +658,48 @@ TEST(esp_netif, set_get_dnsserver)
     }
 }
 
+TEST(esp_netif, initial_mtu_config_applied)
+{
+    // Ensure TCP/IP stack is initialized
+    test_case_uses_tcpip();
+
+    // Minimal driver config to satisfy start-time sanity checks
+    esp_netif_driver_ifconfig_t driver_config = { .handle = (void*)1, .transmit = dummy_transmit };
+
+    // Case 1: explicit MTU configured
+    uint16_t mtu_out = 0;
+    esp_netif_inherent_config_t base1 = { .if_key = "mtu_if0" };
+    base1.mtu = 1400;
+    esp_netif_config_t cfg1 = {
+        .base = &base1,
+        .stack = ESP_NETIF_NETSTACK_DEFAULT_WIFI_STA,
+        .driver = &driver_config,
+    };
+    esp_netif_t *n1 = esp_netif_new(&cfg1);
+    TEST_ASSERT_NOT_NULL(n1);
+    esp_netif_action_start(n1, NULL, 0, NULL);
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(ESP_OK, esp_netif_get_mtu(n1, &mtu_out));
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_UINT16(1400, mtu_out);
+    esp_netif_destroy(n1);
+
+    // Case 2: default MTU (0 means use stack default, e.g., 1500)
+    esp_netif_inherent_config_t base2 = { .if_key = "mtu_if1" };
+    // base2.mtu intentionally left 0
+    esp_netif_config_t cfg2 = {
+        .base = &base2,
+        .stack = ESP_NETIF_NETSTACK_DEFAULT_WIFI_STA,
+        .driver = &driver_config,
+    };
+    esp_netif_t *n2 = esp_netif_new(&cfg2);
+    TEST_ASSERT_NOT_NULL(n2);
+    esp_netif_action_start(n2, NULL, 0, NULL);
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(ESP_OK, esp_netif_get_mtu(n2, &mtu_out));
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_UINT16(1500, mtu_out);
+    struct netif *netif = esp_netif_get_netif_impl(n2);
+    TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL_UINT16(1500, netif->mtu);
+    esp_netif_destroy(n2);
+}
+
 TEST_GROUP_RUNNER(esp_netif)
 {
     /**
@@ -686,6 +728,7 @@ TEST_GROUP_RUNNER(esp_netif)
     RUN_TEST_CASE(esp_netif, dhcp_server_state_transitions_wifi_ap)
     RUN_TEST_CASE(esp_netif, dhcp_server_state_transitions_mesh)
 #endif
+    RUN_TEST_CASE(esp_netif, initial_mtu_config_applied)
     RUN_TEST_CASE(esp_netif, route_priority)
     RUN_TEST_CASE(esp_netif, set_get_dnsserver)
     RUN_TEST_CASE(esp_netif, unified_netif_status_event)
diff --git a/examples/protocols/icmp/pmtu_probe/README.md b/examples/protocols/icmp/pmtu_probe/README.md
index 763af3e9ef..34219d8143 100644
--- a/examples/protocols/icmp/pmtu_probe/README.md
+++ b/examples/protocols/icmp/pmtu_probe/README.md
@@ -23,18 +23,30 @@ Notes:
 
 3) Example output:
 ```
-I (xxx) pmtu_probe: Connecting network...
-I (xxx) pmtu_probe: Probing PMTU to host www.espressif.com (IPv4)
-I (xxx) pmtu_probe: Search range payload=[0, 1472]
-I (xxx) pmtu_probe: Best payload=1392 -> MTU=1420
-I (xxx) pmtu_probe: Applying MTU 1420 to default netif
+I (8236) example_common: Connected to example_netif_sta
+I (8246) example_common: - IPv4 address: 192.168.0.35,
+I (8276) pmtu_probe: Probing PMTU to host www.espressif.com (IPv4)
+I (8276) pmtu_probe: Search range payload=[0, 1472]
+I (8286) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 736
+I (8436) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 1104
+I (8586) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 1288
+I (8736) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 1380
+I (8886) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 1426
+I (9036) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 1449
+I (9186) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 1461
+I (9336) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 1467
+I (9486) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 1470
+I (9636) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 1471
+I (9786) pmtu_probe: Trying payload once with size 1472
+I (9936) pmtu_probe: Best payload=1472 -> MTU=1500
+I (9936) pmtu_probe: Applying MTU 1500 to default netif
+I (9936) main_task: Returned from app_main()
 ```
 
 ## Implementation details
 
 - Uses `esp_ping` (ping_sock) to attempt 1 echo per payload size and waits synchronously for success/timeout.
 - Bounds the search using the current interface MTU when available, otherwise falls back to `1472`.
-- Applies MTU via new API:
+- Applies MTU via these API:
   - `esp_netif_set_mtu(esp_netif_t *netif, uint16_t mtu)`
   - `esp_netif_get_mtu(esp_netif_t *netif, uint16_t *mtu)`
-
diff --git a/examples/protocols/icmp/pmtu_probe/main/pmtu_probe_main.c b/examples/protocols/icmp/pmtu_probe/main/pmtu_probe_main.c
index 271a4a9c9b..920e43e063 100644
--- a/examples/protocols/icmp/pmtu_probe/main/pmtu_probe_main.c
+++ b/examples/protocols/icmp/pmtu_probe/main/pmtu_probe_main.c
@@ -47,8 +47,9 @@ static void on_ping_end(esp_ping_handle_t hdl, void *args)
     }
 }
 
-static bool try_payload_once(const ip_addr_t *target, uint32_t payload)
+static bool try_payload_once(const ip_addr_t *target, uint32_t payload_size)
 {
+    ESP_LOGI(TAG, "Trying payload once with size %u", payload_size);
     probe_ctx_t ctx = { .done = xSemaphoreCreateBinary(), .got_reply = false };
     if (!ctx.done) {
         return false;
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ static bool try_payload_once(const ip_addr_t *target, uint32_t payload)
     cfg.count = 1;
     cfg.timeout_ms = 1000;   // 1s timeout
     cfg.interval_ms = 100;   // not used for count=1
-    cfg.data_size = payload;
+    cfg.data_size = payload_size;
     esp_ping_callbacks_t cbs = {
         .cb_args = &ctx,
         .on_ping_success = on_ping_success,
@@ -106,7 +107,9 @@ static bool resolve_host(const char *host, ip_addr_t *out)
 void app_main(void)
 {
     ESP_ERROR_CHECK(nvs_flash_init());
+    ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_netif_init());
     ESP_ERROR_CHECK(esp_event_loop_create_default());
+
     ESP_LOGI(TAG, "Connecting network...");
     ESP_ERROR_CHECK(example_connect());
 
@@ -123,7 +126,7 @@ void app_main(void)
         return;
     }
 
-    ESP_LOGI(TAG, "Probing PMTU to host %s (IPv4)");
+    ESP_LOGI(TAG, "Probing PMTU to host %s (IPv4)", host);
 
     uint16_t if_mtu = 0;
     uint32_t lo = 0;