diff --git a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JdkClientHttpConnector.java b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JdkClientHttpConnector.java
index 4313c658076d..dccb5722862b 100644
--- a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JdkClientHttpConnector.java
+++ b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JdkClientHttpConnector.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
 import java.net.http.HttpResponse;
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
@@ -49,6 +50,9 @@ public class JdkClientHttpConnector implements ClientHttpConnector {
 
 	private DataBufferFactory bufferFactory = DefaultDataBufferFactory.sharedInstance;
 
+	@Nullable
+	private Duration readTimeout = null;
+
 
 	/**
 	 * Default constructor that uses {@link HttpClient#newHttpClient()}.
@@ -91,12 +95,22 @@ public void setBufferFactory(DataBufferFactory bufferFactory) {
 		this.bufferFactory = bufferFactory;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Set the default read timeout to use.
+	 * <p>By default, this is null, so no read timeout will be set.</p>
+	 */
+	public void setReadTimeout(Duration readTimeout) {
+		Assert.notNull(readTimeout, "readTimeout is required");
+		this.readTimeout = readTimeout;
+	}
+
 
 	@Override
 	public Mono<ClientHttpResponse> connect(
 			HttpMethod method, URI uri, Function<? super ClientHttpRequest, Mono<Void>> requestCallback) {
 
-		JdkClientHttpRequest jdkClientHttpRequest = new JdkClientHttpRequest(method, uri, this.bufferFactory);
+		JdkClientHttpRequest jdkClientHttpRequest = new JdkClientHttpRequest(method, uri, this.bufferFactory,
+				this.readTimeout);
 
 		return requestCallback.apply(jdkClientHttpRequest).then(Mono.defer(() -> {
 			HttpRequest httpRequest = jdkClientHttpRequest.getNativeRequest();
diff --git a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JdkClientHttpRequest.java b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JdkClientHttpRequest.java
index 2295d4ba2cb9..9eeebb6b2755 100644
--- a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JdkClientHttpRequest.java
+++ b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/client/reactive/JdkClientHttpRequest.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 import java.net.http.HttpClient;
 import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.concurrent.Flow;
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@
 import org.springframework.http.HttpCookie;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpMethod;
+import org.springframework.lang.Nullable;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.MultiValueMap;
 
@@ -57,7 +59,8 @@ class JdkClientHttpRequest extends AbstractClientHttpRequest {
 	private final HttpRequest.Builder builder;
 
 
-	public JdkClientHttpRequest(HttpMethod httpMethod, URI uri, DataBufferFactory bufferFactory) {
+	public JdkClientHttpRequest(HttpMethod httpMethod, URI uri, DataBufferFactory bufferFactory,
+								@Nullable Duration readTimeout) {
 		Assert.notNull(httpMethod, "HttpMethod is required");
 		Assert.notNull(uri, "URI is required");
 		Assert.notNull(bufferFactory, "DataBufferFactory is required");
@@ -66,6 +69,9 @@ public JdkClientHttpRequest(HttpMethod httpMethod, URI uri, DataBufferFactory bu
 		this.uri = uri;
 		this.bufferFactory = bufferFactory;
 		this.builder = HttpRequest.newBuilder(uri);
+		if (readTimeout != null) {
+			this.builder.timeout(readTimeout);
+		}
 	}