diff --git a/src/google-maps/map-geocoder/map-geocoder.spec.ts b/src/google-maps/map-geocoder/map-geocoder.spec.ts
index 80aebfc1f953..af8bbd9510f0 100644
--- a/src/google-maps/map-geocoder/map-geocoder.spec.ts
+++ b/src/google-maps/map-geocoder/map-geocoder.spec.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,12 @@ describe('MapGeocoder', () => {
     (window.google as any) = undefined;
   });
 
-  it('initializes the Google Maps Geocoder', () => {
+  it('does not initialize the Google Maps Geocoder immediately', () => {
+    expect(geocoderConstructorSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('initializes the Google Maps Geocoder after `geocode` is called', () => {
+    geocoder.geocode({}).subscribe();
     expect(geocoderConstructorSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
diff --git a/src/google-maps/map-geocoder/map-geocoder.ts b/src/google-maps/map-geocoder/map-geocoder.ts
index 3a18fd9d9d51..843ab77109f6 100644
--- a/src/google-maps/map-geocoder/map-geocoder.ts
+++ b/src/google-maps/map-geocoder/map-geocoder.ts
@@ -23,17 +23,21 @@ export interface MapGeocoderResponse {
  */
 @Injectable({providedIn: 'root'})
 export class MapGeocoder {
-  private readonly _geocoder: google.maps.Geocoder;
+  private _geocoder: google.maps.Geocoder|undefined;
 
-  constructor(private readonly _ngZone: NgZone) {
-    this._geocoder = new google.maps.Geocoder();
-  }
+  constructor(private readonly _ngZone: NgZone) {}
 
   /**
    * See developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/reference/geocoder#Geocoder.geocode
    */
   geocode(request: google.maps.GeocoderRequest): Observable<MapGeocoderResponse> {
     return new Observable(observer => {
+      // Initialize the `Geocoder` lazily since the Google Maps API may
+      // not have been loaded when the provider is instantiated.
+      if (!this._geocoder) {
+        this._geocoder = new google.maps.Geocoder();
+      }
+
       this._geocoder.geocode(request, (results, status) => {
         this._ngZone.run(() => {
           observer.next({results, status});