diff --git a/pkg/compose/create.go b/pkg/compose/create.go
index 0b8d92d07..035492db6 100644
--- a/pkg/compose/create.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/create.go
@@ -545,23 +545,28 @@ func defaultNetworkSettings(
 		primaryNetworkKey = "default"
 	}
 	primaryNetworkMobyNetworkName := project.Networks[primaryNetworkKey].Name
-	endpointsConfig := map[string]*network.EndpointSettings{
-		primaryNetworkMobyNetworkName: createEndpointSettings(project, service, serviceIndex, primaryNetworkKey, links, useNetworkAliases),
-	}
+	primaryNetworkEndpoint := createEndpointSettings(project, service, serviceIndex, primaryNetworkKey, links, useNetworkAliases)
+	endpointsConfig := map[string]*network.EndpointSettings{}
 
 	// Starting from API version 1.44, the Engine will take several EndpointsConfigs
 	// so we can pass all the extra networks we want the container to be connected to
 	// in the network configuration instead of connecting the container to each extra
 	// network individually after creation.
-	if versions.GreaterThanOrEqualTo(version, "1.44") && len(service.Networks) > 1 {
-		serviceNetworks := service.NetworksByPriority()
-		for _, networkKey := range serviceNetworks[1:] {
-			mobyNetworkName := project.Networks[networkKey].Name
-			epSettings := createEndpointSettings(project, service, serviceIndex, networkKey, links, useNetworkAliases)
-			endpointsConfig[mobyNetworkName] = epSettings
+	if versions.GreaterThanOrEqualTo(version, "1.44") {
+		if len(service.Networks) > 1 {
+			serviceNetworks := service.NetworksByPriority()
+			for _, networkKey := range serviceNetworks[1:] {
+				mobyNetworkName := project.Networks[networkKey].Name
+				epSettings := createEndpointSettings(project, service, serviceIndex, networkKey, links, useNetworkAliases)
+				endpointsConfig[mobyNetworkName] = epSettings
+			}
+		}
+		if primaryNetworkEndpoint.MacAddress == "" {
+			primaryNetworkEndpoint.MacAddress = service.MacAddress
 		}
 	}
 
+	endpointsConfig[primaryNetworkMobyNetworkName] = primaryNetworkEndpoint
 	networkConfig := &network.NetworkingConfig{
 		EndpointsConfig: endpointsConfig,
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/compose/create_test.go b/pkg/compose/create_test.go
index 77e7b5378..eb44d0f93 100644
--- a/pkg/compose/create_test.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/create_test.go
@@ -278,33 +278,26 @@ func TestDefaultNetworkSettings(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCreateEndpointSettings(t *testing.T) {
-	eps := createEndpointSettings(
-		&composetypes.Project{
-			Name: "projName",
-		},
-		composetypes.ServiceConfig{
-			Name:          "serviceName",
-			ContainerName: "containerName",
-			Networks: map[string]*composetypes.ServiceNetworkConfig{
-				"netName": {
-					Priority:     100,
-					Aliases:      []string{"alias1", "alias2"},
-					Ipv4Address:  "10.16.17.18",
-					Ipv6Address:  "fdb4:7a7f:373a:3f0c::42",
-					LinkLocalIPs: []string{"169.254.10.20"},
-					MacAddress:   "10:00:00:00:01",
-					DriverOpts: composetypes.Options{
-						"driverOpt1": "optval1",
-						"driverOpt2": "optval2",
-					},
+	eps := createEndpointSettings(&composetypes.Project{
+		Name: "projName",
+	}, composetypes.ServiceConfig{
+		Name:          "serviceName",
+		ContainerName: "containerName",
+		Networks: map[string]*composetypes.ServiceNetworkConfig{
+			"netName": {
+				Priority:     100,
+				Aliases:      []string{"alias1", "alias2"},
+				Ipv4Address:  "10.16.17.18",
+				Ipv6Address:  "fdb4:7a7f:373a:3f0c::42",
+				LinkLocalIPs: []string{"169.254.10.20"},
+				MacAddress:   "10:00:00:00:01",
+				DriverOpts: composetypes.Options{
+					"driverOpt1": "optval1",
+					"driverOpt2": "optval2",
 				},
 			},
 		},
-		0,                          // serviceIndex
-		"netName",                  // networkKey
-		[]string{"link1", "link2"}, // links
-		true,                       // useNetworkAliases
-	)
+	}, 0, "netName", []string{"link1", "link2"}, true)
 	assert.Check(t, cmp.DeepEqual(eps, &network.EndpointSettings{
 		IPAMConfig: &network.EndpointIPAMConfig{
 			IPv4Address:  "10.16.17.18",
diff --git a/pkg/e2e/fixtures/network-test/mac_address.yaml b/pkg/e2e/fixtures/network-test/mac_address.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..60e3861a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/e2e/fixtures/network-test/mac_address.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+services:
+  test:
+    image: nginx:alpine
+    mac_address: 00:e0:84:35:d0:e8
diff --git a/pkg/e2e/networks_test.go b/pkg/e2e/networks_test.go
index f1d908832..87495b783 100644
--- a/pkg/e2e/networks_test.go
+++ b/pkg/e2e/networks_test.go
@@ -172,3 +172,15 @@ func TestNetworkConfigChanged(t *testing.T) {
 	res = c.RunDockerComposeCmd(t, "--project-name", projectName, "exec", "test", "hostname", "-i")
 	res.Assert(t, icmd.Expected{Out: "192.168.0."})
 }
+
+func TestMacAddress(t *testing.T) {
+	c := NewCLI(t)
+	const projectName = "network_mac_address"
+	c.RunDockerComposeCmd(t, "-f", "./fixtures/network-test/mac_address.yaml", "--project-name", projectName, "up", "-d")
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		c.cleanupWithDown(t, projectName)
+	})
+	res := c.RunDockerCmd(t, "inspect", fmt.Sprintf("%s-test-1", projectName), "-f", "{{ (index .NetworkSettings.Networks \"network_mac_address_default\" ).MacAddress }}")
+	res.Assert(t, icmd.Expected{Out: "00:e0:84:35:d0:e8"})
+
+}