diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/lib/cluster.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/lib/cluster.ts
index a65f1ecd57c06..d1fb2bf60352b 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/lib/cluster.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/lib/cluster.ts
@@ -510,8 +510,6 @@ export class Cluster extends Resource implements ICluster {
    * @param options options for creating a new nodegroup
    */
   public addNodegroup(id: string, options?: NodegroupOptions): Nodegroup {
-    // initialize the awsAuth for this cluster
-    this._awsAuth = this._awsAuth ?? this.awsAuth;
     return new Nodegroup(this, `Nodegroup${id}`, {
       cluster: this,
       ...options,
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/test/test.cluster.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/test/test.cluster.ts
index c99324b0a8ea1..daeded7e80743 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/test/test.cluster.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/test/test.cluster.ts
@@ -856,18 +856,6 @@ export = {
                 ],
               },
             },
-            {
-              Action: 'sts:AssumeRole',
-              Effect: 'Allow',
-              Principal: {
-                AWS: {
-                  'Fn::GetAtt': [
-                    'awscdkawseksKubectlProviderNestedStackawscdkawseksKubectlProviderNestedStackResourceA7AEBA6B',
-                    'Outputs.StackawscdkawseksKubectlProviderHandlerServiceRole2C52B3ECArn',
-                  ],
-                },
-              },
-            },
           ],
           Version: '2012-10-17',
         },
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/test/test.nodegroup.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/test/test.nodegroup.ts
index b22918dd1b306..acd5871c6cb6b 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/test/test.nodegroup.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-eks/test/test.nodegroup.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { expect, haveResource, haveResourceLike } from '@aws-cdk/assert';
+import { countResources, expect, haveResource, haveResourceLike } from '@aws-cdk/assert';
 import * as ec2 from '@aws-cdk/aws-ec2';
 import * as cdk from '@aws-cdk/core';
 import { Test } from 'nodeunit';
@@ -90,6 +90,18 @@ export = {
     ));
     test.done();
   },
+  'create nodegroups with kubectlEnabled is false'(test: Test) {
+    // GIVEN
+    const { stack, vpc } = testFixture();
+
+    // WHEN
+    const cluster = new eks.Cluster(stack, 'Cluster', { vpc, kubectlEnabled: false, defaultCapacity: 2 });
+    // add a extra nodegroup
+    cluster.addNodegroup('extra-ng');
+    // THEN
+    expect(stack).to(countResources('AWS::EKS::Nodegroup', 2));
+    test.done();
+  },
   'create nodegroup with instanceType provided'(test: Test) {
     // GIVEN
     const { stack, vpc } = testFixture();