diff --git a/packages/vite-node/package.json b/packages/vite-node/package.json
index b93429c35..9b3c35199 100644
--- a/packages/vite-node/package.json
+++ b/packages/vite-node/package.json
@@ -87,7 +87,6 @@
     "debug": "^4.3.4",
     "pathe": "^1.1.1",
     "picocolors": "^1.0.0",
-    "pkg-types": "^1.0.3",
     "vite": "^3.0.0 || ^4.0.0 || ^5.0.0-0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
diff --git a/packages/vite-node/src/externalize.ts b/packages/vite-node/src/externalize.ts
index 8efaf3d5d..2f23a3255 100644
--- a/packages/vite-node/src/externalize.ts
+++ b/packages/vite-node/src/externalize.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 import { existsSync, promises as fsp } from 'node:fs'
-import { readPackageJSON } from 'pkg-types'
-import { extname, join } from 'pathe'
+import { dirname, extname, join } from 'pathe'
 import type { DepsHandlingOptions } from './types'
-import { isNodeBuiltin, slash } from './utils'
+import { findNearestPackageData, isNodeBuiltin, slash } from './utils'
 import { KNOWN_ASSET_TYPES } from './constants'
 
 const BUILTIN_EXTENSIONS = new Set(['.mjs', '.cjs', '.node', '.wasm'])
@@ -65,14 +64,14 @@ async function isValidNodeImport(id: string) {
   if (/\.(\w+-)?esm?(-\w+)?\.js$|\/(esm?)\//.test(id))
     return false
 
-  const package_ = await readPackageJSON(id).catch(() => ({
-    type: undefined,
-  }))
+  id = id.replace('file:///', '')
+
+  const package_ = await findNearestPackageData(dirname(id))
 
   if (package_.type === 'module')
     return true
 
-  const code = await fsp.readFile(id.replace('file:///', ''), 'utf8').catch(() => '')
+  const code = await fsp.readFile(id, 'utf8').catch(() => '')
 
   return !ESM_SYNTAX_RE.test(code)
 }
diff --git a/packages/vite-node/src/utils.ts b/packages/vite-node/src/utils.ts
index e6cdcaf74..cffe441da 100644
--- a/packages/vite-node/src/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/vite-node/src/utils.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { fileURLToPath, pathToFileURL } from 'node:url'
 import { builtinModules } from 'node:module'
-import { existsSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { dirname, resolve } from 'pathe'
+import { existsSync, promises as fsp } from 'node:fs'
+import { dirname, join, resolve } from 'pathe'
 import type { Arrayable, Nullable } from './types'
 
 export const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32'
@@ -235,3 +235,31 @@ export function createImportMetaEnvProxy() {
     },
   })
 }
+
+const packageCache = new Map<string, { type?: 'module' | 'commonjs' }>()
+
+export async function findNearestPackageData(basedir: string): Promise<{ type?: 'module' | 'commonjs' }> {
+  const originalBasedir = basedir
+  while (basedir) {
+    const cached = getCachedData(packageCache, basedir, originalBasedir)
+    if (cached)
+      return cached
+
+    const pkgPath = join(basedir, 'package.json')
+    if ((await fsp.stat(pkgPath).catch(() => {}))?.isFile()) {
+      const pkgData = JSON.parse(await fsp.readFile(pkgPath, 'utf8'))
+
+      if (packageCache)
+        setCacheData(packageCache, pkgData, basedir, originalBasedir)
+
+      return pkgData
+    }
+
+    const nextBasedir = dirname(basedir)
+    if (nextBasedir === basedir)
+      break
+    basedir = nextBasedir
+  }
+
+  return {}
+}
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index e06cedea9..69021d929 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -1315,9 +1315,6 @@ importers:
       picocolors:
         specifier: ^1.0.0
         version: 1.0.0
-      pkg-types:
-        specifier: ^1.0.3
-        version: 1.0.3
       vite:
         specifier: ^5.0.0-beta.12
         version: 5.0.0-beta.12(@types/node@18.16.19)(less@4.1.3)
@@ -13134,6 +13131,7 @@ packages:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-F0SAmZ8iUtS//m8DmCTA0jlh6TDKkHQyK6xc6V4KDTyZKA9dnvX9/3sRTVQrWm79glUAZbnmmNcdYwUIHWVybw==}
     engines: {node: '>=0.4.0'}
     hasBin: true
+    dev: true
 
   /acorn@8.8.2:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-xjIYgE8HBrkpd/sJqOGNspf8uHG+NOHGOw6a/Urj8taM2EXfdNAH2oFcPeIFfsv3+kz/mJrS5VuMqbNLjCa2vw==}
@@ -21394,6 +21392,7 @@ packages:
 
   /jsonc-parser@3.2.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-gfFQZrcTc8CnKXp6Y4/CBT3fTc0OVuDofpre4aEeEpSBPV5X5v4+Vmx+8snU7RLPrNHPKSgLxGo9YuQzz20o+w==}
+    dev: true
 
   /jsonfile@4.0.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-m6F1R3z8jjlf2imQHS2Qez5sjKWQzbuuhuJ/FKYFRZvPE3PuHcSMVZzfsLhGVOkfd20obL5SWEBew5ShlquNxg==}
@@ -22452,6 +22451,7 @@ packages:
       pathe: 1.1.1
       pkg-types: 1.0.3
       ufo: 1.3.1
+    dev: true
 
   /moment@2.29.4:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-5LC9SOxjSc2HF6vO2CyuTDNivEdoz2IvyJJGj6X8DJ0eFyfszE0QiEd+iXmBvUP3WHxSjFH/vIsA0EN00cgr8w==}
@@ -23806,6 +23806,7 @@ packages:
       jsonc-parser: 3.2.0
       mlly: 1.4.2
       pathe: 1.1.1
+    dev: true
 
   /playwright-chromium@1.39.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-0WVmvn9ppPbcyb2PQherIpzsvJlyjqziCZiAiexTEYSz8k6/+/3wljmFaMRMP1lcv2xKyHDn9yWd/lHb7IzYyA==}
@@ -27637,6 +27638,7 @@ packages:
 
   /ufo@1.3.1:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-uY/99gMLIOlJPwATcMVYfqDSxUR9//AUcgZMzwfSTJPDKzA1S8mX4VLqa+fiAtveraQUBCz4FFcwVZBGbwBXIw==}
+    dev: true
 
   /uglify-js@3.17.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-aTeNPVmgIMPpm1cxXr2Q/nEbvkmV8yq66F3om7X3P/cvOXQ0TMQ64Wk63iyT1gPlmdmGzjGpyLh1f3y8MZWXGg==}