diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/boost/generic.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/boost/generic.nix
index bb8dff83d32..c79b874ecb6 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/boost/generic.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/boost/generic.nix
@@ -135,7 +135,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   enableParallelBuilding = true;
 
-  nativeBuildInputs = [ which buildPackages.stdenv.cc ];
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ which ];
+  depsBuildBuild = [ buildPackages.stdenv.cc ];
   buildInputs = [ expat zlib bzip2 libiconv ]
     ++ optional (stdenv.hostPlatform == stdenv.buildPlatform) icu
     ++ optional stdenv.isDarwin fixDarwinDylibNames