diff --git a/data/helpers.d/php b/data/helpers.d/php
index eaeee23ed..beaa01f14 100644
--- a/data/helpers.d/php
+++ b/data/helpers.d/php
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 # Declare the actual php version to use.
 # A packager willing to use another version of php can override the variable into its _common.sh.
-YNH_DEFAULT_PHP_VERSION=${YNH_DEFAULT_PHP_VERSION:-7.0}
+YNH_DEFAULT_PHP_VERSION=7.0
 YNH_PHP_VERSION=${YNH_PHP_VERSION:-YNH_DEFAULT_PHP_VERSION}
 
 # Create a dedicated php-fpm config