diff --git a/pkg/util/tracing/span_inner.go b/pkg/util/tracing/span_inner.go
index 34f4a427b227..2c3cae8750fe 100644
--- a/pkg/util/tracing/span_inner.go
+++ b/pkg/util/tracing/span_inner.go
@@ -265,7 +265,10 @@ func (s *spanInner) RecordStructured(item Structured) {
 	}
 	s.crdb.recordStructured(item)
 	if s.hasVerboseSink() {
-		s.Record(item.String())
+		// Do not call .String() on the item, so that non-redactable bits
+		// in its representation are properly preserved by Recordf() in
+		// verbose recordings.
+		s.Recordf("%v", item)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -283,10 +286,16 @@ func (s *spanInner) Recordf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
 	} else {
 		// `fmt.Sprintf` when called on a logEntry will use the faster
 		// `logEntry.String` method instead of `logEntry.SafeFormat`.
-		// The additional use of `redact.Sprintf("%s",...)` is necessary
+		// The additional use of `redact.Sprint(...)` is necessary
 		// to wrap the result in redaction markers.
-		str = redact.Sprintf("%s", fmt.Sprintf(format, args...))
+		str = redact.Sprint(fmt.Sprintf(format, args...))
 	}
+	s.recordRedactable(format, args, str)
+}
+
+func (s *spanInner) recordRedactable(
+	format string, args []interface{}, str redact.RedactableString,
+) {
 	if s.otelSpan != nil {
 		// TODO(obs-inf): depending on the situation it may be more appropriate to
 		// redact the string here.
diff --git a/pkg/util/tracing/span_test.go b/pkg/util/tracing/span_test.go
index 7c721d6a8b82..8ed491d8f9dc 100644
--- a/pkg/util/tracing/span_test.go
+++ b/pkg/util/tracing/span_test.go
@@ -247,6 +247,24 @@ func TestImportRemoteRecordingMaintainsRightByteSize(t *testing.T) {
 	rootTrace.check(t)
 }
 
+func TestSpanRecordStructuredRedactable(t *testing.T) {
+	tr := NewTracer()
+	tr.SetRedactable(true)
+	sp := tr.StartSpan("root", WithRecording(tracingpb.RecordingVerbose))
+	defer sp.Finish()
+
+	payload := &tracingpb.OperationMetadata{Count: 123}
+	sp.RecordStructured(payload)
+	rec := sp.GetRecording(tracingpb.RecordingStructured)
+
+	// The following check fails if RecordStructured incorrectly
+	// serializes the event to a string.
+	checkRecordingWithRedact(t, rec, `
+		=== operation:root
+event:{count: 123, duration 0µs}
+structured:‹×›`, true)
+}
+
 func TestSpanRecordStructured(t *testing.T) {
 	tr := NewTracer()
 	sp := tr.StartSpan("root", WithRecording(tracingpb.RecordingStructured))
diff --git a/pkg/util/tracing/test_utils.go b/pkg/util/tracing/test_utils.go
index 519d2e78ff9b..a464b25f71ad 100644
--- a/pkg/util/tracing/test_utils.go
+++ b/pkg/util/tracing/test_utils.go
@@ -178,6 +178,10 @@ type T interface {
 //	        event:remote child 1
 //	`)
 func checkRecording(t T, rec tracingpb.Recording, expected string) {
+	checkRecordingWithRedact(t, rec, expected, false)
+}
+
+func checkRecordingWithRedact(t T, rec tracingpb.Recording, expected string, redactValues bool) {
 	normalize := func(rec string) string {
 		// normalize the string form of a recording for ease of comparison.
 		//
@@ -235,8 +239,12 @@ func checkRecording(t T, rec tracingpb.Recording, expected string) {
 		sortChildrenMetadataByName(rec[i].ChildrenMetadata)
 	}
 
+	actual := redact.Sprint(rec)
+	if redactValues {
+		actual = actual.Redact()
+	}
 	exp := normalize(expected)
-	got := normalize(string(redact.Sprint(rec)))
+	got := normalize(string(actual))
 	if got != exp {
 		diff := difflib.UnifiedDiff{
 			A:        difflib.SplitLines(exp),