diff --git a/builtin/providers/digitalocean/resource_digitalocean_droplet.go b/builtin/providers/digitalocean/resource_digitalocean_droplet.go
index 48372d0e7..fdae4dd03 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/digitalocean/resource_digitalocean_droplet.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/digitalocean/resource_digitalocean_droplet.go
@@ -260,10 +260,13 @@ func resourceDigitalOceanDropletRead(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) e
 		return fmt.Errorf("Error retrieving droplet: %s", err)
 	}
 
-	if droplet.Image.Slug != "" {
-		d.Set("image", droplet.Image.Slug)
-	} else {
+	_, err = strconv.Atoi(d.Get("image").(string))
+	if err == nil || droplet.Image.Slug == "" {
+		// The image field is provided as an ID (number), or
+		// the image bash no slug. In both cases we store it as an ID.
 		d.Set("image", droplet.Image.ID)
+	} else {
+		d.Set("image", droplet.Image.Slug)
 	}
 
 	d.Set("name", droplet.Name)
diff --git a/builtin/providers/digitalocean/resource_digitalocean_droplet_test.go b/builtin/providers/digitalocean/resource_digitalocean_droplet_test.go
index 1daa64787..1d6f78042 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/digitalocean/resource_digitalocean_droplet_test.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/digitalocean/resource_digitalocean_droplet_test.go
@@ -46,6 +46,26 @@ func TestAccDigitalOceanDroplet_Basic(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestAccDigitalOceanDroplet_WithID(t *testing.T) {
+	var droplet godo.Droplet
+	rInt := acctest.RandInt()
+	// TODO: not hardcode this as it will change over time
+	centosID := 22995941
+
+	resource.Test(t, resource.TestCase{
+		PreCheck:     func() { testAccPreCheck(t) },
+		Providers:    testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy: testAccCheckDigitalOceanDropletDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			{
+				Config: testAccCheckDigitalOceanDropletConfig_withID(centosID, rInt),
+				Check: resource.ComposeTestCheckFunc(
+					testAccCheckDigitalOceanDropletExists("digitalocean_droplet.foobar", &droplet),
+				),
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
 func TestAccDigitalOceanDroplet_withSSH(t *testing.T) {
 	var droplet godo.Droplet
 	rInt := acctest.RandInt()
@@ -499,6 +519,17 @@ resource "digitalocean_droplet" "foobar" {
 }`, rInt)
 }
 
+func testAccCheckDigitalOceanDropletConfig_withID(imageID, rInt int) string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`
+resource "digitalocean_droplet" "foobar" {
+  name      = "foo-%d"
+  size      = "512mb"
+  image     = "%d"
+  region    = "nyc3"
+  user_data = "foobar"
+}`, rInt, imageID)
+}
+
 func testAccCheckDigitalOceanDropletConfig_withSSH(rInt int) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf(`
 resource "digitalocean_ssh_key" "foobar" {