diff --git a/src/plugins/elasticsearch/lib/__tests__/routes.js b/src/plugins/elasticsearch/lib/__tests__/routes.js
index 5ed15eb6d8b0..aa07af2dc384 100644
--- a/src/plugins/elasticsearch/lib/__tests__/routes.js
+++ b/src/plugins/elasticsearch/lib/__tests__/routes.js
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-var src = require('requirefrom')('src');
 var expect = require('expect.js');
 var util = require('util');
+var requireFromTest = require('requirefrom')('test');
+var kbnTestServer = requireFromTest('utils/kbn_server');
+
 var format = util.format;
 
-var KbnServer = src('server/KbnServer');
-var fromRoot = src('utils/fromRoot');
 
 describe('plugins/elasticsearch', function () {
   describe('routes', function () {
@@ -12,27 +12,7 @@ describe('plugins/elasticsearch', function () {
     var kbnServer;
 
     before(function () {
-      kbnServer = new KbnServer({
-        server: {
-          autoListen: false,
-          xsrf: {
-            disableProtection: true
-          }
-        },
-        logging: { quiet: true },
-        plugins: {
-          scanDirs: [
-            fromRoot('src/plugins')
-          ]
-        },
-        optimize: {
-          enabled: false
-        },
-        elasticsearch: {
-          url: 'http://localhost:9210'
-        }
-      });
-
+      kbnServer = kbnTestServer.createServer();
       return kbnServer.ready()
       .then(() => kbnServer.server.plugins.elasticsearch.waitUntilReady());
     });
@@ -51,7 +31,7 @@ describe('plugins/elasticsearch', function () {
       var statusCode = options.statusCode || 200;
       describe(format('%s %s', options.method, options.url), function () {
         it('should should return ' + statusCode, function (done) {
-          kbnServer.server.inject(options, function (res) {
+          kbnTestServer.makeRequest(kbnServer, options, function (res) {
             try {
               expect(res.statusCode).to.be(statusCode);
               done();
diff --git a/src/server/__tests__/basePath.js b/src/server/__tests__/basePath.js
index 3c3dff771b72..ec67b9fa538a 100644
--- a/src/server/__tests__/basePath.js
+++ b/src/server/__tests__/basePath.js
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 import { resolve } from 'path';
 import { fromNode as fn } from 'bluebird';
 import expect from 'expect.js';
+import requirefrom from 'requirefrom';
 
-import KbnServer from '../KbnServer';
-
-const src = resolve.bind(__dirname, '../../');
+const requireFromTest = requirefrom('test');
+const kbnTestServer = requireFromTest('utils/kbn_server');
 const basePath = '/kibana';
 
 describe('Server basePath config', function () {
@@ -13,14 +13,8 @@ describe('Server basePath config', function () {
 
   let kbnServer;
   before(async function () {
-    kbnServer = new KbnServer({
-      server: { autoListen: false, basePath },
-      plugins: { scanDirs: [src('plugins')] },
-      logging: { quiet: true },
-      optimize: { enabled: false },
-      elasticsearch: {
-        url: 'http://localhost:9210'
-      }
+    kbnServer = kbnTestServer.createServer({
+      server: { basePath }
     });
     await kbnServer.ready();
     return kbnServer;
@@ -30,12 +24,18 @@ describe('Server basePath config', function () {
     await kbnServer.close();
   });
 
-  it('appends the basePath to root redirect', async function () {
-    const response = await kbnServer.inject({
+  it('appends the basePath to root redirect', function (done) {
+    const options = {
       url: '/',
       method: 'GET'
+    };
+    kbnTestServer.makeRequest(kbnServer, options, function (res) {
+      try {
+        expect(res.payload).to.match(/defaultRoute = '\/kibana\/app\/kibana'/);
+        done();
+      } catch (e) {
+        done(e);
+      }
     });
-
-    expect(response.payload).to.match(/defaultRoute = '\/kibana\/app\/kibana'/);
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/server/http/__tests__/index.js b/src/server/http/__tests__/index.js
index aa5f962d0097..c4d33bfe5614 100644
--- a/src/server/http/__tests__/index.js
+++ b/src/server/http/__tests__/index.js
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 import expect from 'expect.js';
-import KbnServer from '../../KbnServer';
+import requirefrom from 'requirefrom';
+
+const requireFromTest = requirefrom('test');
+const kbnTestServer = requireFromTest('utils/kbn_server');
 
 describe('cookie validation', function () {
   let kbnServer;
   beforeEach(function () {
-    kbnServer = new KbnServer({
-      server: { autoListen: false }
-    });
+    kbnServer = kbnTestServer.createServer();
     return kbnServer.ready();
   });
   afterEach(function () {
@@ -14,26 +15,28 @@ describe('cookie validation', function () {
   });
 
   it('allows non-strict cookies', function (done) {
-    kbnServer.server.inject({
+    const options = {
       method: 'GET',
       url: '/',
       headers: {
         cookie: 'test:80=value;test_80=value'
       }
-    }, (res) => {
+    };
+    kbnTestServer.makeRequest(kbnServer, options, (res) => {
       expect(res.payload).not.to.contain('Invalid cookie header');
       done();
     });
   });
 
   it('returns an error if the cookie can\'t be parsed', function (done) {
-    kbnServer.server.inject({
+    const options = {
       method: 'GET',
       url: '/',
       headers: {
         cookie: 'a'
       }
-    }, (res) =>  {
+    };
+    kbnTestServer.makeRequest(kbnServer, options, (res) =>  {
       expect(res.payload).to.contain('Invalid cookie header');
       done();
     });
diff --git a/src/server/http/__tests__/xsrf.js b/src/server/http/__tests__/xsrf.js
index 64757a4424dc..fc7da5f94159 100644
--- a/src/server/http/__tests__/xsrf.js
+++ b/src/server/http/__tests__/xsrf.js
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ import expect from 'expect.js';
 import { fromNode as fn } from 'bluebird';
 import { resolve } from 'path';
 
-import KbnServer from '../../KbnServer';
+const requireFromTest = require('requirefrom')('test');
+const kbnTestServer = requireFromTest('utils/kbn_server');
 
 const nonDestructiveMethods = ['GET'];
 const destructiveMethods = ['POST', 'PUT', 'DELETE'];
@@ -14,20 +15,16 @@ const version = require(src('../package.json')).version;
 describe('xsrf request filter', function () {
   function inject(kbnServer, opts) {
     return fn(cb => {
-      kbnServer.server.inject(opts, (resp) => {
+      kbnTestServer.makeRequest(kbnServer, opts, (resp) => {
         cb(null, resp);
       });
     });
   }
 
   const makeServer = async function () {
-    const kbnServer = new KbnServer({
-      server: { autoListen: false },
-      plugins: { scanDirs: [src('plugins')] },
-      logging: { quiet: true },
-      optimize: { enabled: false },
-      elasticsearch: {
-        url: 'http://localhost:9210'
+    const kbnServer = kbnTestServer.createServer({
+      server: {
+        xsrf: { disableProtection: false }
       }
     });
 
diff --git a/test/utils/kbn_server.js b/test/utils/kbn_server.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..43efa40ad6e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/utils/kbn_server.js
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import { defaultsDeep } from 'lodash';
+import requirefrom from 'requirefrom';
+
+const src = requirefrom('src');
+const KbnServer = src('server/KbnServer');
+const fromRoot = src('utils/fromRoot');
+
+const SERVER_DEFAULTS = {
+  server: {
+    autoListen: false,
+    xsrf: {
+      disableProtection: true
+    }
+  },
+  logging: {
+    quiet: true
+  },
+  plugins: {
+    scanDirs: [
+      fromRoot('src/plugins')
+    ]
+  },
+  optimize: {
+    enabled: false
+  },
+  elasticsearch: {
+    url: 'http://localhost:9210'
+  }
+};
+
+export function createServer(params = {}) {
+  params = defaultsDeep({}, params, SERVER_DEFAULTS);
+  return new KbnServer(params);
+};
+
+export function makeRequest(kbnServer, options, fn) {
+  return kbnServer.server.inject(options, fn);
+};