diff --git a/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/CMakeLists.txt b/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/CMakeLists.txt
index 5baf67b50cd5e..47710be6311b8 100644
--- a/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,9 +3,8 @@ project(test_package LANGUAGES C)
 
 find_package(gperftools REQUIRED CONFIG)
 
-add_executable(${PROJECT_NAME} test_package.c)
-target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE gperftools::gperftools)
-
-add_executable(${PROJECT_NAME}_minimal test_package.c)
-target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME}_minimal PRIVATE gperftools::tcmalloc_minimal)
+add_executable(${PROJECT_NAME}_indirect test_package_indirect.c)
+target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME}_indirect PRIVATE gperftools::tcmalloc_minimal)
 
+add_executable(${PROJECT_NAME}_direct test_package_direct.c)
+target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME}_direct PRIVATE gperftools::tcmalloc_minimal)
diff --git a/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/conanfile.py b/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/conanfile.py
index f5cf204295e19..15254490bd4f2 100644
--- a/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/conanfile.py
+++ b/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/conanfile.py
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-from conan import ConanFile
+import io
+
+from conan import ConanFile, conan_version
+from conan.tools.apple import is_apple_os
 from conan.tools.build import can_run
 from conan.tools.cmake import cmake_layout, CMake
 import os
@@ -19,7 +22,25 @@ def build(self):
         cmake.configure()
         cmake.build()
 
+    def _test(self, executable):
+        bin_path = os.path.join(self.cpp.build.bindir, executable)
+        if conan_version >= "2.0.15":
+            stderr = io.StringIO()
+            kwargs = {}  # workaround for a linter false positive
+            kwargs.update([("stderr", stderr)])
+            self.run(bin_path, env="conanrun", **kwargs)
+            stderr = stderr.getvalue()
+            self.output.info(stderr)
+            assert "MALLOC: " in stderr, "MALLOCSTATS was not successfully enabled: " + stderr
+        else:
+            self.run(bin_path, env="conanrun")
+
     def test(self):
         if can_run(self):
-            bin_path = os.path.join(self.cpp.build.bindir, "test_package")
-            self.run(bin_path, env="conanrun")
+            os.environ["MALLOCSTATS"] = "1"
+            self._test("test_package_direct")
+            if conan_version.major == 2 and is_apple_os(self) and not self.dependencies["gperftools"].options.shared:
+                # FIXME
+                self.output.warning(f"Indirect use of malloc() on {self.settings.os} for a static build is broken and is currently skipped")
+            else:
+                self._test("test_package_indirect")
diff --git a/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/test_package.c b/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/test_package_direct.c
similarity index 100%
rename from recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/test_package.c
rename to recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/test_package_direct.c
diff --git a/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/test_package_indirect.c b/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/test_package_indirect.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..0c4eaf1da058c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/recipes/gperftools/all/test_package/test_package_indirect.c
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#include <assert.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+int main() {
+    void *p = malloc(100);
+    printf("%p\n", p);    
+    free(p);
+    return p == 0 ? EXIT_FAILURE : EXIT_SUCCESS;
+}