diff --git a/plugins/python-build/bin/python-build b/plugins/python-build/bin/python-build
index 6f54fe4e..3e6afff9 100755
--- a/plugins/python-build/bin/python-build
+++ b/plugins/python-build/bin/python-build
@@ -654,6 +654,7 @@ build_package_standard() {
   local PACKAGE_MAKE_OPTS_ARRAY="${package_var_name}_MAKE_OPTS_ARRAY[@]"
   local PACKAGE_MAKE_INSTALL_OPTS="${package_var_name}_MAKE_INSTALL_OPTS"
   local PACKAGE_MAKE_INSTALL_OPTS_ARRAY="${package_var_name}_MAKE_INSTALL_OPTS_ARRAY[@]"
+  local PACKAGE_MAKE_INSTALL_TARGET="${package_var_name}_MAKE_INSTALL_TARGET"
   local PACKAGE_CFLAGS="${package_var_name}_CFLAGS"
 
   [ "$package_var_name" = "PYTHON" ] && use_homebrew_readline || true
@@ -670,7 +671,7 @@ build_package_standard() {
   ) >&4 2>&1
 
   { "$MAKE" $MAKE_OPTS ${!PACKAGE_MAKE_OPTS} "${!PACKAGE_MAKE_OPTS_ARRAY}"
-    "$MAKE" install $MAKE_INSTALL_OPTS ${!PACKAGE_MAKE_INSTALL_OPTS} "${!PACKAGE_MAKE_INSTALL_OPTS_ARRAY}"
+    "$MAKE" "${!PACKAGE_MAKE_INSTALL_TARGET:-install}" $MAKE_INSTALL_OPTS ${!PACKAGE_MAKE_INSTALL_OPTS} "${!PACKAGE_MAKE_INSTALL_OPTS_ARRAY}"
   } >&4 2>&1
 }
 
diff --git a/plugins/python-build/test/pyenv_ext.bats b/plugins/python-build/test/pyenv_ext.bats
index 62232ae5..ae84c231 100644
--- a/plugins/python-build/test/pyenv_ext.bats
+++ b/plugins/python-build/test/pyenv_ext.bats
@@ -138,3 +138,24 @@ OUT
   unstub make
   unstub patch
 }
+
+@test "allow custom make install target" {
+  cached_tarball "Python-3.2.1"
+
+  stub brew false
+  stub "$MAKE" \
+    " : echo \"$MAKE \$@\" >> build.log" \
+    " : echo \"$MAKE \$@\" >> build.log && cat build.log >> '$INSTALL_ROOT/build.log'"
+
+  PYTHON_MAKE_INSTALL_TARGET="altinstall" TMPDIR="$TMP" install_tmp_fixture definitions/vanilla-python < /dev/null
+  assert_success
+
+  assert_build_log <<OUT
+Python-3.2.1: CPPFLAGS="-I${TMP}/install/include " LDFLAGS="-L${TMP}/install/lib "
+Python-3.2.1: --prefix=$INSTALL_ROOT --libdir=$INSTALL_ROOT/lib
+make -j 2
+make altinstall
+OUT
+
+  unstub make
+}