diff --git a/meta/recipes-core/ovmf/ovmf_git.bb b/meta/recipes-core/ovmf/ovmf_git.bb
index 559c86b546..920944b713 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-core/ovmf/ovmf_git.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-core/ovmf/ovmf_git.bb
@@ -67,6 +67,10 @@ OVMF_SECURE_BOOT_FLAGS = "-DSECURE_BOOT_ENABLE=TRUE ${OVMF_SECURE_BOOT_EXTRA_FLA
 
 export PYTHON_COMMAND = "${HOSTTOOLS_DIR}/python3"
 
+# Build type (RELEASE|DEBUG)
+# in RELEASE mode debug console is disabled. Switch to DEBUG to enable it.
+OVMF_BUILD_TYPE ?= "RELEASE"
+
 do_patch[postfuncs] += "fix_basetools_location"
 fix_basetools_location () {
 }
@@ -200,11 +204,11 @@ do_compile:class-target() {
     fi
     FIXED_GCCVER=$(fixup_target_tools ${GCC_VER})
     bbnote FIXED_GCCVER is ${FIXED_GCCVER}
-    build_dir="${S}/Build/Ovmf$OVMF_DIR_SUFFIX/RELEASE_${FIXED_GCCVER}"
+    build_dir="${S}/Build/Ovmf$OVMF_DIR_SUFFIX/${OVMF_BUILD_TYPE}_${FIXED_GCCVER}"
 
     bbnote "Building without Secure Boot."
     rm -rf ${S}/Build/Ovmf$OVMF_DIR_SUFFIX
-    ${S}/OvmfPkg/build.sh $PARALLEL_JOBS -a $OVMF_ARCH -b RELEASE -t ${FIXED_GCCVER} ${PACKAGECONFIG_CONFARGS}
+    ${S}/OvmfPkg/build.sh $PARALLEL_JOBS -a $OVMF_ARCH -b ${OVMF_BUILD_TYPE} -t ${FIXED_GCCVER} ${PACKAGECONFIG_CONFARGS}
     ln ${build_dir}/FV/OVMF.fd ${WORKDIR}/ovmf/ovmf.fd
     ln ${build_dir}/FV/OVMF_CODE.fd ${WORKDIR}/ovmf/ovmf.code.fd
     ln ${build_dir}/FV/OVMF_VARS.fd ${WORKDIR}/ovmf/ovmf.vars.fd
@@ -214,7 +218,7 @@ do_compile:class-target() {
         # Repeat build with the Secure Boot flags.
         bbnote "Building with Secure Boot."
         rm -rf ${S}/Build/Ovmf$OVMF_DIR_SUFFIX
-        ${S}/OvmfPkg/build.sh $PARALLEL_JOBS -a $OVMF_ARCH -b RELEASE -t ${FIXED_GCCVER} ${PACKAGECONFIG_CONFARGS} ${OVMF_SECURE_BOOT_FLAGS}
+        ${S}/OvmfPkg/build.sh $PARALLEL_JOBS -a $OVMF_ARCH -b ${OVMF_BUILD_TYPE} -t ${FIXED_GCCVER} ${PACKAGECONFIG_CONFARGS} ${OVMF_SECURE_BOOT_FLAGS}
         ln ${build_dir}/FV/OVMF.fd ${WORKDIR}/ovmf/ovmf.secboot.fd
         ln ${build_dir}/FV/OVMF_CODE.fd ${WORKDIR}/ovmf/ovmf.secboot.code.fd
         ln ${build_dir}/${OVMF_ARCH}/EnrollDefaultKeys.efi ${WORKDIR}/ovmf/