diff --git a/config/configmap.go b/config/configmap.go
index 94400d23684..61b2c363bdd 100644
--- a/config/configmap.go
+++ b/config/configmap.go
@@ -62,23 +62,13 @@ func (l *Map) AllKeys() []string {
 
 // Unmarshal unmarshalls the config into a struct.
 // Tags on the fields of the structure must be properly set.
-func (l *Map) Unmarshal(rawVal interface{}) error {
-	decoder, err := mapstructure.NewDecoder(decoderConfig(rawVal))
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	return decoder.Decode(l.ToStringMap())
+func (l *Map) Unmarshal(result interface{}) error {
+	return decoderConfig(l, result, false)
 }
 
 // UnmarshalExact unmarshalls the config into a struct, erroring if a field is nonexistent.
-func (l *Map) UnmarshalExact(rawVal interface{}) error {
-	dc := decoderConfig(rawVal)
-	dc.ErrorUnused = true
-	decoder, err := mapstructure.NewDecoder(dc)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	return decoder.Decode(l.ToStringMap())
+func (l *Map) UnmarshalExact(result interface{}) error {
+	return decoderConfig(l, result, true)
 }
 
 // Get can retrieve any value given the key to use.
@@ -133,10 +123,10 @@ func (l *Map) ToStringMap() map[string]interface{} {
 // whose values are nil pointer structs resolved to the zero value of the target struct (see
 // expandNilStructPointers). A decoder created from this mapstructure.DecoderConfig will decode
 // its contents to the result argument.
-func decoderConfig(result interface{}) *mapstructure.DecoderConfig {
-	return &mapstructure.DecoderConfig{
+func decoderConfig(m *Map, result interface{}, errorUnused bool) error {
+	dc := &mapstructure.DecoderConfig{
+		ErrorUnused:      errorUnused,
 		Result:           result,
-		Metadata:         nil,
 		TagName:          "mapstructure",
 		WeaklyTypedInput: true,
 		DecodeHook: mapstructure.ComposeDecodeHookFunc(
@@ -145,8 +135,15 @@ func decoderConfig(result interface{}) *mapstructure.DecoderConfig {
 			mapStringToMapComponentIDHookFunc,
 			stringToTimeDurationHookFunc,
 			textUnmarshallerHookFunc,
+			unmarshallableHookFunc(result),
 		),
 	}
+
+	decoder, err := mapstructure.NewDecoder(dc)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return decoder.Decode(m.ToStringMap())
 }
 
 var (
@@ -219,3 +216,27 @@ var mapStringToMapComponentIDHookFunc = func(f reflect.Type, t reflect.Type, dat
 	}
 	return m, nil
 }
+
+func unmarshallableHookFunc(result interface{}) mapstructure.DecodeHookFuncValue {
+	return func(from reflect.Value, to reflect.Value) (interface{}, error) {
+		if _, ok := from.Interface().(map[string]interface{}); !ok {
+			return from.Interface(), nil
+		}
+
+		toPtr := to.Addr().Interface()
+		if _, ok := toPtr.(Unmarshallable); !ok {
+			return from.Interface(), nil
+		}
+
+		// Need to ignore the top structure to avoid circular dependency.
+		if toPtr == result {
+			return from.Interface(), nil
+		}
+
+		unmarshaller := reflect.New(to.Type()).Interface().(Unmarshallable)
+		if err := unmarshaller.Unmarshal(NewMapFromStringMap(from.Interface().(map[string]interface{}))); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		return unmarshaller, nil
+	}
+}
diff --git a/config/configmap_test.go b/config/configmap_test.go
index 1d34f3df45f..ff3fe63e40a 100644
--- a/config/configmap_test.go
+++ b/config/configmap_test.go
@@ -109,6 +109,44 @@ func TestToStringMap(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+type testConfig struct {
+	Next    nextConfig `mapstructure:"next"`
+	Another string     `mapstructure:"another"`
+}
+
+func (tc *testConfig) Unmarshal(component *Map) error {
+	if err := component.UnmarshalExact(tc); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	tc.Another = tc.Another + " is not called"
+	return nil
+}
+
+type nextConfig struct {
+	String string `mapstructure:"string"`
+}
+
+func (nc *nextConfig) Unmarshal(component *Map) error {
+	if err := component.UnmarshalExact(nc); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	nc.String = nc.String + " is called"
+	return nil
+}
+
+func TestUnmarshallable(t *testing.T) {
+	cfgMap := NewMapFromStringMap(map[string]interface{}{
+		"next": map[string]interface{}{
+			"string": "make sure this",
+		},
+		"another": "make sure this",
+	})
+	tc := &testConfig{}
+	assert.NoError(t, cfgMap.UnmarshalExact(tc))
+	assert.Equal(t, "make sure this", tc.Another)
+	assert.Equal(t, "make sure this is called", tc.Next.String)
+}
+
 // newMapFromFile creates a new config.Map by reading the given file.
 func newMapFromFile(fileName string) (*Map, error) {
 	content, err := ioutil.ReadFile(filepath.Clean(fileName))