diff --git a/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle-kotlin-dsl/base/build-layout.include.qute b/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle-kotlin-dsl/base/build-layout.include.qute
index 3b643510d09a4..4b0d7655a7a45 100644
--- a/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle-kotlin-dsl/base/build-layout.include.qute
+++ b/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle-kotlin-dsl/base/build-layout.include.qute
@@ -50,13 +50,8 @@ version = "{project.version}"
 
 {#insert java}
 java {
-    {#if java.version == "17"}
-    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
-    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
-    {#else}
-    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
-    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
-    {/if}
+    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_{java.version}
+    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_{java.version}
 }
 {/}
 
diff --git a/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle-kotlin-dsl/scala/build.tpl.qute.gradle.kts b/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle-kotlin-dsl/scala/build.tpl.qute.gradle.kts
index a6c4baa92a1a3..035088350b60f 100644
--- a/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle-kotlin-dsl/scala/build.tpl.qute.gradle.kts
+++ b/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle-kotlin-dsl/scala/build.tpl.qute.gradle.kts
@@ -9,11 +9,6 @@ plugins {
 
 tasks.withType<ScalaCompile> {
     scalaCompileOptions.encoding = "UTF-8"
-    {#if java.version == "11"}
-    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11.toString()
-    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11.toString()
-    {#else}
-    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8.toString()
-    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8.toString()
-    {/if}
+    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_{java.version}.toString()
+    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_{java.version}.toString()
 }
diff --git a/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle/base/build-layout.include.qute b/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle/base/build-layout.include.qute
index 53c267137122b..dd292c9d2fbd6 100644
--- a/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle/base/build-layout.include.qute
+++ b/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle/base/build-layout.include.qute
@@ -46,13 +46,8 @@ version '{project.version}'
 
 {#insert java}
 java {
-    {#if java.version == "17"}
-    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
-    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
-    {#else}
-    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
-    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
-    {/if}
+    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_{java.version}
+    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_{java.version}
 }
 {/}
 
diff --git a/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle/scala/build.tpl.qute.gradle b/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle/scala/build.tpl.qute.gradle
index 6119eea5168af..835921cebee0b 100644
--- a/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle/scala/build.tpl.qute.gradle
+++ b/independent-projects/tools/base-codestarts/src/main/resources/codestarts/quarkus/buildtool/gradle/scala/build.tpl.qute.gradle
@@ -9,11 +9,6 @@ plugins {
 
 compileScala {
     scalaCompileOptions.encoding = 'UTF-8'
-    {#if java.version == "11"}
-    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
-    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_11
-    {#else}
-    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
-    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
-    {/if}
+    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_{java.version}
+    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_{java.version}
 }
diff --git a/integration-tests/maven/src/test/java/io/quarkus/maven/it/CreateProjectMojoIT.java b/integration-tests/maven/src/test/java/io/quarkus/maven/it/CreateProjectMojoIT.java
index 39ba3756cf3af..8374d41fe2a17 100644
--- a/integration-tests/maven/src/test/java/io/quarkus/maven/it/CreateProjectMojoIT.java
+++ b/integration-tests/maven/src/test/java/io/quarkus/maven/it/CreateProjectMojoIT.java
@@ -494,6 +494,24 @@ public void testProjectGenerationFromScratchWithJava17() throws MavenInvocationE
                 .contains("maven.compiler.release>17<");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testProjectGenerationFromScratchWithJava21() throws MavenInvocationException, IOException {
+        testDir = initEmptyProject("projects/project-generation-with-java21");
+        assertThat(testDir).isDirectory();
+        invoker = initInvoker(testDir);
+
+        Properties properties = new Properties();
+        properties.put("javaVersion", "21");
+
+        InvocationResult result = setup(properties);
+        assertThat(result.getExitCode()).isZero();
+
+        testDir = new File(testDir, "code-with-quarkus");
+        assertThat(new File(testDir, "pom.xml")).isFile();
+        assertThat(FileUtils.readFileToString(new File(testDir, "pom.xml"), "UTF-8"))
+                .contains("maven.compiler.release>21<");
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testProjectGenerationFromScratchWithGradleJava11() throws MavenInvocationException, IOException {
         testDir = initEmptyProject("projects/project-generation-with-gradle-java11");
@@ -532,6 +550,25 @@ public void testProjectGenerationFromScratchWithGradleJava17() throws MavenInvoc
                 .contains("sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testProjectGenerationFromScratchWithGradleJava21() throws MavenInvocationException, IOException {
+        testDir = initEmptyProject("projects/project-generation-with-gradle-java21");
+        assertThat(testDir).isDirectory();
+        invoker = initInvoker(testDir);
+
+        Properties properties = new Properties();
+        properties.put("javaVersion", "21");
+        properties.put("buildTool", "gradle");
+
+        InvocationResult result = setup(properties);
+        assertThat(result.getExitCode()).isZero();
+
+        testDir = new File(testDir, "code-with-quarkus");
+        assertThat(new File(testDir, "build.gradle")).isFile();
+        assertThat(FileUtils.readFileToString(new File(testDir, "build.gradle"), "UTF-8"))
+                .contains("sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_21");
+    }
+
     /**
      * Reproducer for https://github.com/quarkusio/quarkus/issues/671
      */