diff --git a/src/nbsphinx.py b/src/nbsphinx.py
index ccd9e484..81f954a7 100644
--- a/src/nbsphinx.py
+++ b/src/nbsphinx.py
@@ -938,6 +938,7 @@ def get_transforms(self):
             CreateNotebookSectionAnchors,
             ReplaceAlertDivs,
             CopyLinkedFiles,
+            ForceEquations,
         ]
 
     def parse(self, inputstring, document):
@@ -1796,6 +1797,21 @@ def apply(self):
             env.nbsphinx_files.setdefault(env.docname, []).append(file)
 
 
+class ForceEquations(docutils.transforms.Transform):
+    """Unconditionally enable equations on notebooks.
+
+    Except if ``nbsphinx_assume_equations`` is set to ``False``.
+
+    """
+
+    default_priority = 900  # after checking for equations in MathDomain
+
+    def apply(self):
+        env = self.document.settings.env
+        if env.config.nbsphinx_assume_equations:
+            env.get_domain('math').data['has_equations'][env.docname] = True
+
+
 class GetSizeFromImages(
         sphinx.transforms.post_transforms.images.BaseImageConverter):
     """Get size from images and store it as node attributes.
@@ -2218,6 +2234,7 @@ def setup(app):
     app.add_config_value('nbsphinx_widgets_path', None, rebuild='html')
     app.add_config_value('nbsphinx_widgets_options', {}, rebuild='html')
     app.add_config_value('nbsphinx_thumbnails', {}, rebuild='html')
+    app.add_config_value('nbsphinx_assume_equations', True, rebuild='env')
 
     app.add_directive('nbinput', NbInput)
     app.add_directive('nboutput', NbOutput)