diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d09bed4ae4e..34309ab8c1b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
     {
       "name": "apollo-client",
       "path": "./dist/apollo-client.cjs.min.js",
-      "maxSize": "25.25 kB"
+      "maxSize": "25.3 kB"
     }
   ],
   "peerDependencies": {
diff --git a/src/__tests__/client.ts b/src/__tests__/client.ts
index 7f7c84fa2ef..9b38bd585cb 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/client.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/client.ts
@@ -2971,10 +2971,6 @@ describe('@connection', () => {
     const bResults = watch(gql`{ b }`);
     const abResults = watch(gql`{ a b }`);
 
-    function wait(time = 10) {
-      return new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 10));
-    }
-
     await wait();
 
     function checkLastResult(
@@ -3114,6 +3110,102 @@ describe('@connection', () => {
     resolve();
   });
 
+  function wait(time = 10) {
+    return new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, time));
+  }
+
+  itAsync('should call forgetCache for reactive vars when stopped', async (resolve, reject) => {
+    const aVar = makeVar(123);
+    const bVar = makeVar("asdf");
+    const aSpy = jest.spyOn(aVar, "forgetCache");
+    const bSpy = jest.spyOn(bVar, "forgetCache");
+    const cache: InMemoryCache = new InMemoryCache({
+      typePolicies: {
+        Query: {
+          fields: {
+            a() {
+              return aVar();
+            },
+            b() {
+              return bVar();
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+
+    const client = new ApolloClient({ cache });
+
+    const obsQueries = new Set<ObservableQuery<any>>();
+    const subs = new Set<ObservableSubscription>();
+    function watch(
+      query: DocumentNode,
+      fetchPolicy: WatchQueryFetchPolicy = "cache-first",
+    ): any[] {
+      const results: any[] = [];
+      const obsQuery = client.watchQuery({
+        query,
+        fetchPolicy,
+      });
+      obsQueries.add(obsQuery);
+      subs.add(obsQuery.subscribe({
+        next(result) {
+          results.push(result.data);
+        },
+      }));
+      return results;
+    }
+
+    const aQuery = gql`{ a }`;
+    const bQuery = gql`{ b }`;
+    const abQuery = gql`{ a b }`;
+
+    const aResults = watch(aQuery);
+    const bResults = watch(bQuery);
+
+    expect(cache["watches"].size).toBe(2);
+
+    expect(aResults).toEqual([]);
+    expect(bResults).toEqual([]);
+
+    expect(aSpy).not.toBeCalled();
+    expect(bSpy).not.toBeCalled();
+
+    subs.forEach(sub => sub.unsubscribe());
+
+    expect(aSpy).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(aSpy).toBeCalledWith(cache);
+    expect(bSpy).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(bSpy).toBeCalledWith(cache);
+
+    expect(aResults).toEqual([]);
+    expect(bResults).toEqual([]);
+
+    expect(cache["watches"].size).toBe(0);
+    const abResults = watch(abQuery);
+    expect(abResults).toEqual([]);
+    expect(cache["watches"].size).toBe(1);
+
+    await wait();
+
+    expect(aResults).toEqual([]);
+    expect(bResults).toEqual([]);
+    expect(abResults).toEqual([
+      { a: 123, b: "asdf" }
+    ]);
+
+    client.stop();
+
+    await wait();
+
+    expect(aSpy).toBeCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(aSpy).toBeCalledWith(cache);
+    expect(bSpy).toBeCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(bSpy).toBeCalledWith(cache);
+
+    resolve();
+  });
+
   describe('default settings', () => {
     const query = gql`
       query number {
diff --git a/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/cache.ts b/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/cache.ts
index c5b707d6ffc..a9c041b5b83 100644
--- a/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/cache.ts
+++ b/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/cache.ts
@@ -2595,6 +2595,57 @@ describe("ReactiveVar and makeVar", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("should forget cache once all watches are cancelled", () => {
+    const { cache, nameVar, query } = makeCacheAndVar(false);
+    const spy = jest.spyOn(nameVar, "forgetCache");
+
+    const diffs: Cache.DiffResult<any>[] = [];
+    const watch = () => cache.watch({
+      query,
+      optimistic: true,
+      immediate: true,
+      callback(diff) {
+        diffs.push(diff);
+      },
+    });
+
+    const unwatchers = [
+      watch(),
+      watch(),
+      watch(),
+      watch(),
+      watch(),
+    ];
+
+    expect(diffs.length).toBe(5);
+
+    expect(cache["watches"].size).toBe(5);
+    expect(spy).not.toBeCalled();
+
+    unwatchers.pop()!();
+    expect(cache["watches"].size).toBe(4);
+    expect(spy).not.toBeCalled();
+
+    unwatchers.shift()!();
+    expect(cache["watches"].size).toBe(3);
+    expect(spy).not.toBeCalled();
+
+    unwatchers.pop()!();
+    expect(cache["watches"].size).toBe(2);
+    expect(spy).not.toBeCalled();
+
+    expect(diffs.length).toBe(5);
+    unwatchers.push(watch());
+    expect(diffs.length).toBe(6);
+
+    expect(unwatchers.length).toBe(3);
+    unwatchers.forEach(unwatch => unwatch());
+
+    expect(cache["watches"].size).toBe(0);
+    expect(spy).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(spy).toBeCalledWith(cache);
+  });
+
   it("should broadcast only once for multiple reads of same variable", () => {
     const nameVar = makeVar("Ben");
     const cache = new InMemoryCache({
diff --git a/src/cache/inmemory/inMemoryCache.ts b/src/cache/inmemory/inMemoryCache.ts
index 0b76db0e846..16616d53353 100644
--- a/src/cache/inmemory/inMemoryCache.ts
+++ b/src/cache/inmemory/inMemoryCache.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import {
 import { StoreReader } from './readFromStore';
 import { StoreWriter } from './writeToStore';
 import { EntityStore, supportsResultCaching } from './entityStore';
-import { makeVar } from './reactiveVars';
+import { makeVar, forgetCache } from './reactiveVars';
 import {
   defaultDataIdFromObject,
   PossibleTypesMap,
@@ -199,7 +199,12 @@ export class InMemoryCache extends ApolloCache<NormalizedCacheObject> {
       this.maybeBroadcastWatch(watch);
     }
     return () => {
-      this.watches.delete(watch);
+      // Once we remove the last watch from this.watches, cache.broadcastWatches
+      // no longer does anything, so we preemptively tell the reactive variable
+      // system to exclude this cache from future broadcasts.
+      if (this.watches.delete(watch) && !this.watches.size) {
+        forgetCache(this);
+      }
       this.watchDep.dirty(watch);
       // Remove this watch from the LRU cache managed by the
       // maybeBroadcastWatch OptimisticWrapperFunction, to prevent memory
diff --git a/src/cache/inmemory/reactiveVars.ts b/src/cache/inmemory/reactiveVars.ts
index f063bb03546..d7b95c62832 100644
--- a/src/cache/inmemory/reactiveVars.ts
+++ b/src/cache/inmemory/reactiveVars.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { ApolloCache } from '../../core';
 export interface ReactiveVar<T> {
   (newValue?: T): T;
   onNextChange(listener: ReactiveListener<T>): () => void;
+  forgetCache(cache: ApolloCache<any>): boolean;
 }
 
 export type ReactiveListener<T> = (value: T) => any;
@@ -27,6 +28,16 @@ function consumeAndIterate<T>(set: Set<T>, callback: (item: T) => any) {
   items.forEach(callback);
 }
 
+const varsByCache = new WeakMap<ApolloCache<any>, Set<ReactiveVar<any>>>();
+
+export function forgetCache(cache: ApolloCache<any>) {
+  const vars = varsByCache.get(cache);
+  if (vars) {
+    consumeAndIterate(vars, rv => rv.forgetCache(cache));
+    varsByCache.delete(cache);
+  }
+}
+
 export function makeVar<T>(value: T): ReactiveVar<T> {
   const caches = new Set<ApolloCache<any>>();
   const listeners = new Set<ReactiveListener<T>>();
@@ -50,7 +61,12 @@ export function makeVar<T>(value: T): ReactiveVar<T> {
       // context via cacheSlot. This isn't entirely foolproof, but it's
       // the same system that powers varDep.
       const cache = cacheSlot.getValue();
-      if (cache) caches.add(cache);
+      if (cache) {
+        caches.add(cache);
+        let vars = varsByCache.get(cache)!;
+        if (!vars) varsByCache.set(cache, vars = new Set);
+        vars.add(rv);
+      }
       varDep(rv);
     }
 
@@ -64,6 +80,8 @@ export function makeVar<T>(value: T): ReactiveVar<T> {
     };
   };
 
+  rv.forgetCache = cache => caches.delete(cache);
+
   return rv;
 }