diff --git a/pkg/ingester/flush.go b/pkg/ingester/flush.go
index fbc571e6d14ce..e6e22f72f097e 100644
--- a/pkg/ingester/flush.go
+++ b/pkg/ingester/flush.go
@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@ import (
 	"github.com/go-kit/log/level"
 	"github.com/grafana/dskit/backoff"
 	"github.com/grafana/dskit/ring"
+	"github.com/grafana/dskit/tenant"
 	"github.com/grafana/dskit/user"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
-
-	"github.com/grafana/dskit/tenant"
+	"golang.org/x/time/rate"
 
 	"github.com/grafana/loki/v3/pkg/chunkenc"
 	"github.com/grafana/loki/v3/pkg/storage/chunk"
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ const (
 	// position, not wallclock time.
 	flushBackoff = 1 * time.Second
 
+	// Lower bound on flushes per check period for rate-limiter
+	minFlushes = 100
+
 	nameLabel = "__name__"
 	logsValue = "logs"
 
@@ -99,13 +102,14 @@ func (o *flushOp) Priority() int64 {
 	return -int64(o.from)
 }
 
-// sweepUsers periodically schedules series for flushing and garbage collects users with no series
+// sweepUsers periodically schedules series for flushing and garbage collects users with no streams
 func (i *Ingester) sweepUsers(immediate, mayRemoveStreams bool) {
 	instances := i.getInstances()
 
 	for _, instance := range instances {
 		i.sweepInstance(instance, immediate, mayRemoveStreams)
 	}
+	i.setFlushRate()
 }
 
 func (i *Ingester) sweepInstance(instance *instance, immediate, mayRemoveStreams bool) {
@@ -137,6 +141,24 @@ func (i *Ingester) sweepStream(instance *instance, stream *stream, immediate boo
 	})
 }
 
+// Compute a rate such to spread calls to the store over nearly all of the flush period,
+// for example if we have 600 items in the queue and period 1 min we will send 10.5 per second.
+// Note if the store can't keep up with this rate then it doesn't make any difference.
+func (i *Ingester) setFlushRate() {
+	totalQueueLength := 0
+	for _, q := range i.flushQueues {
+		totalQueueLength += q.Length()
+	}
+	const jitter = 1.05 // aim to finish a little bit before the end of the period
+	flushesPerSecond := float64(totalQueueLength) / i.cfg.FlushCheckPeriod.Seconds() * jitter
+	// Avoid going very slowly with tiny queues
+	if flushesPerSecond*i.cfg.FlushCheckPeriod.Seconds() < minFlushes {
+		flushesPerSecond = minFlushes / i.cfg.FlushCheckPeriod.Seconds()
+	}
+	level.Debug(util_log.Logger).Log("msg", "computed flush rate", "rate", flushesPerSecond)
+	i.flushRateLimiter.SetLimit(rate.Limit(flushesPerSecond))
+}
+
 func (i *Ingester) flushLoop(j int) {
 	l := log.With(i.logger, "loop", j)
 	defer func() {
@@ -151,8 +173,13 @@ func (i *Ingester) flushLoop(j int) {
 		}
 		op := o.(*flushOp)
 
+		if !op.immediate {
+			_ = i.flushRateLimiter.Wait(context.Background())
+		}
+
 		m := util_log.WithUserID(op.userID, l)
 		err := i.flushOp(m, op)
+
 		if err != nil {
 			level.Error(m).Log("msg", "failed to flush", "err", err)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/ingester/ingester.go b/pkg/ingester/ingester.go
index dcfeb20b48a5a..af7f1fde288c9 100644
--- a/pkg/ingester/ingester.go
+++ b/pkg/ingester/ingester.go
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
+	"golang.org/x/time/rate"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/health/grpc_health_v1"
 
 	server_util "github.com/grafana/loki/v3/pkg/util/server"
@@ -239,6 +240,9 @@ type Ingester struct {
 	flushQueues     []*util.PriorityQueue
 	flushQueuesDone sync.WaitGroup
 
+	// Spread out calls to the chunk store over the flush period
+	flushRateLimiter *rate.Limiter
+
 	limiter *Limiter
 
 	// Denotes whether the ingester should flush on shutdown.
@@ -294,6 +298,7 @@ func New(cfg Config, clientConfig client.Config, store Store, limits Limits, con
 		periodicConfigs:       store.GetSchemaConfigs(),
 		loopQuit:              make(chan struct{}),
 		flushQueues:           make([]*util.PriorityQueue, cfg.ConcurrentFlushes),
+		flushRateLimiter:      rate.NewLimiter(rate.Inf, 1),
 		tailersQuit:           make(chan struct{}),
 		metrics:               metrics,
 		flushOnShutdownSwitch: &OnceSwitch{},