diff --git a/discovery/kubernetes/kubernetes.go b/discovery/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
index 084c0e7ed..604f9d684 100644
--- a/discovery/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
+++ b/discovery/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
@@ -511,7 +511,7 @@ func (d *Discovery) Run(ctx context.Context, ch chan<- []*targetgroup.Group) {
 			}
 			pod := NewPod(
 				log.With(d.logger, "role", "pod"),
-				cache.NewSharedInformer(plw, &apiv1.Pod{}, resyncPeriod),
+				d.newPodsByNodeInformer(plw),
 				nodeInformer,
 			)
 			d.discoverers = append(d.discoverers, pod)
@@ -679,3 +679,18 @@ func (d *Discovery) newNodeInformer(ctx context.Context) cache.SharedInformer {
 	}
 	return cache.NewSharedInformer(nlw, &apiv1.Node{}, resyncPeriod)
 }
+
+func (d *Discovery) newPodsByNodeInformer(plw *cache.ListWatch) cache.SharedIndexInformer {
+	indexers := make(map[string]cache.IndexFunc)
+	if d.attachMetadata.Node {
+		indexers[nodeIndex] = func(obj interface{}) ([]string, error) {
+			pod, ok := obj.(*apiv1.Pod)
+			if !ok {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("object is not a pod")
+			}
+			return []string{pod.Spec.NodeName}, nil
+		}
+	}
+
+	return cache.NewSharedIndexInformer(plw, &apiv1.Pod{}, resyncPeriod, indexers)
+}
diff --git a/discovery/kubernetes/pod.go b/discovery/kubernetes/pod.go
index a670be542..d118b4761 100644
--- a/discovery/kubernetes/pod.go
+++ b/discovery/kubernetes/pod.go
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/util/strutil"
 )
 
+const nodeIndex = "node"
+
 var (
 	podAddCount    = eventCount.WithLabelValues("pod", "add")
 	podUpdateCount = eventCount.WithLabelValues("pod", "update")
@@ -40,7 +42,7 @@ var (
 
 // Pod discovers new pod targets.
 type Pod struct {
-	podInf           cache.SharedInformer
+	podInf           cache.SharedIndexInformer
 	nodeInf          cache.SharedInformer
 	withNodeMetadata bool
 	store            cache.Store
@@ -49,10 +51,11 @@ type Pod struct {
 }
 
 // NewPod creates a new pod discovery.
-func NewPod(l log.Logger, pods, nodes cache.SharedInformer) *Pod {
+func NewPod(l log.Logger, pods cache.SharedIndexInformer, nodes cache.SharedInformer) *Pod {
 	if l == nil {
 		l = log.NewNopLogger()
 	}
+
 	p := &Pod{
 		podInf:           pods,
 		nodeInf:          nodes,
@@ -309,11 +312,14 @@ func (p *Pod) attachNodeMetadata(tg *targetgroup.Group, pod *apiv1.Pod) {
 }
 
 func (p *Pod) enqueuePodsForNode(nodeName string) {
-	for _, pod := range p.store.List() {
-		pod := pod.(*apiv1.Pod)
-		if pod.Spec.NodeName == nodeName {
-			p.enqueue(pod)
-		}
+	pods, err := p.podInf.GetIndexer().ByIndex(nodeIndex, nodeName)
+	if err != nil {
+		level.Error(p.logger).Log("msg", "Error getting pods for node", "node", nodeName, "err", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	for _, pod := range pods {
+		p.enqueue(pod.(*apiv1.Pod))
 	}
 }