diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda-nodejs/README.md b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda-nodejs/README.md
index bfaa99eb0b243..6e99c84835046 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda-nodejs/README.md
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda-nodejs/README.md
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ new lambda.NodejsFunction(this, 'my-handler', {
     },
     logLevel: LogLevel.SILENT, // defaults to LogLevel.WARNING
     keepNames: true, // defaults to false
-    tsconfig: 'custom-tsconfig.json' // use custom-tsconfig.json instead of default, 
+    tsconfig: 'custom-tsconfig.json' // use custom-tsconfig.json instead of default,
     metafile: true, // include meta file, defaults to false
     banner : '/* comments */', // by default no comments are passed
     footer : '/* comments */', // by default no comments are passed
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ Use `bundling.dockerImage` to use a custom Docker bundling image:
 ```ts
 new lambda.NodejsFunction(this, 'my-handler', {
   bundling: {
-    dockerImage: cdk.BundlingDockerImage.fromAsset('/path/to/Dockerfile'),
+    dockerImage: cdk.DockerImage.fromBuild('/path/to/Dockerfile'),
   },
 });
 ```
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda-nodejs/test/bundling.test.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda-nodejs/test/bundling.test.ts
index bd69394ae757c..51da3b8575400 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda-nodejs/test/bundling.test.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda-nodejs/test/bundling.test.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ beforeEach(() => {
   getEsBuildVersionMock.mockReturnValue('0.8.8');
   fromAssetMock.mockReturnValue({
     image: 'built-image',
-    cp: () => {},
+    cp: () => 'dest-path',
     run: () => {},
     toJSON: () => 'built-image',
   });
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/README.md b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/README.md
index 98994962ec129..1f4ee7e5aaa46 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/README.md
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/README.md
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ runtime code.
  * `lambda.Code.fromAsset(path)` - specify a directory or a .zip file in the local
    filesystem which will be zipped and uploaded to S3 before deployment. See also
    [bundling asset code](#bundling-asset-code).
+ * `lambda.Code.fromDockerBuild(path, options)` - use the result of a Docker
+   build as code. The runtime code is expected to be located at `/asset` in the
+   image and will be zipped and uploaded to S3 as an asset.
 
 The following example shows how to define a Python function and deploy the code
 from the local directory `my-lambda-handler` to it:
@@ -450,7 +453,7 @@ new lambda.Function(this, 'Function', {
     bundling: {
       image: lambda.Runtime.PYTHON_3_6.bundlingDockerImage,
       command: [
-        'bash', '-c', 
+        'bash', '-c',
         'pip install -r requirements.txt -t /asset-output && cp -au . /asset-output'
       ],
     },
@@ -462,8 +465,8 @@ new lambda.Function(this, 'Function', {
 
 Runtimes expose a `bundlingDockerImage` property that points to the [AWS SAM](https://github.com/awslabs/aws-sam-cli) build image.
 
-Use `cdk.BundlingDockerImage.fromRegistry(image)` to use an existing image or
-`cdk.BundlingDockerImage.fromAsset(path)` to build a specific image:
+Use `cdk.DockerImage.fromRegistry(image)` to use an existing image or
+`cdk.DockerImage.fromBuild(path)` to build a specific image:
 
 ```ts
 import * as cdk from '@aws-cdk/core';
@@ -471,7 +474,7 @@ import * as cdk from '@aws-cdk/core';
 new lambda.Function(this, 'Function', {
   code: lambda.Code.fromAsset('/path/to/handler', {
     bundling: {
-      image: cdk.BundlingDockerImage.fromAsset('/path/to/dir/with/DockerFile', {
+      image: cdk.DockerImage.fromBuild('/path/to/dir/with/DockerFile', {
         buildArgs: {
           ARG1: 'value1',
         },
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/code.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/code.ts
index 29cd3d02ae4de..b4f41b2804257 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/code.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/code.ts
@@ -57,6 +57,22 @@ export abstract class Code {
     return new AssetCode(path, options);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Loads the function code from an asset created by a Docker build.
+   *
+   * By defaut, the asset is expected to be located at `/asset` in the
+   * image.
+   *
+   * @param path The path to the directory containing the Docker file
+   * @param options Docker build options
+   */
+  public static fromDockerBuild(path: string, options: DockerBuildAssetOptions = {}): AssetCode {
+    const assetPath = cdk.DockerImage
+      .fromBuild(path, options)
+      .cp(options.imagePath ?? '/asset', options.outputPath);
+    return new AssetCode(assetPath);
+  }
+
   /**
    * DEPRECATED
    * @deprecated use `fromAsset`
@@ -488,3 +504,24 @@ export class AssetImageCode extends Code {
     };
   }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Options when creating an asset from a Docker build.
+ */
+export interface DockerBuildAssetOptions extends cdk.DockerBuildOptions {
+  /**
+   * The path in the Docker image where the asset is located after the build
+   * operation.
+   *
+   * @default /asset
+   */
+  readonly imagePath?: string;
+
+  /**
+   * The path on the local filesystem where the asset will be copied
+   * using `docker cp`.
+   *
+   * @default - a unique temporary directory in the system temp directory
+   */
+  readonly outputPath?: string;
+}
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/code.test.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/code.test.ts
index 9b99c095c2467..7de7998b19c85 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/code.test.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/code.test.ts
@@ -327,6 +327,29 @@ describe('code', () => {
       });
     });
   });
+
+  describe('lambda.Code.fromDockerBuild', () => {
+    test('can use the result of a Docker build as an asset', () => {
+      // given
+      const stack = new cdk.Stack();
+      stack.node.setContext(cxapi.ASSET_RESOURCE_METADATA_ENABLED_CONTEXT, true);
+
+      // when
+      new lambda.Function(stack, 'Fn', {
+        code: lambda.Code.fromDockerBuild(path.join(__dirname, 'docker-build-lambda')),
+        handler: 'index.handler',
+        runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_12_X,
+      });
+
+      // then
+      expect(stack).toHaveResource('AWS::Lambda::Function', {
+        Metadata: {
+          [cxapi.ASSET_RESOURCE_METADATA_PATH_KEY]: 'asset.38cd320fa97b348accac88e48d9cede4923f7cab270ce794c95a665be83681a8',
+          [cxapi.ASSET_RESOURCE_METADATA_PROPERTY_KEY]: 'Code',
+        },
+      }, ResourcePart.CompleteDefinition);
+    });
+  });
 });
 
 function defineFunction(code: lambda.Code, runtime: lambda.Runtime = lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_10_X) {
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/docker-build-lambda/Dockerfile b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/docker-build-lambda/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..4643fde141850
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/docker-build-lambda/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+FROM public.ecr.aws/amazonlinux/amazonlinux:latest
+
+COPY index.js /asset
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/docker-build-lambda/index.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/docker-build-lambda/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..cc867895b4efc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/docker-build-lambda/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+/* eslint-disable no-console */
+export async function handler(event: any) {
+  console.log('Event: %j', event);
+  return event;
+}
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-s3-assets/README.md b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-s3-assets/README.md
index f2583b7c10a24..7a751410a2b22 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-s3-assets/README.md
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-s3-assets/README.md
@@ -88,8 +88,8 @@ The following example uses custom asset bundling to convert a markdown file to h
 
 [Example of using asset bundling](./test/integ.assets.bundling.lit.ts).
 
-The bundling docker image (`image`) can either come from a registry (`BundlingDockerImage.fromRegistry`)
-or it can be built from a `Dockerfile` located inside your project (`BundlingDockerImage.fromAsset`).
+The bundling docker image (`image`) can either come from a registry (`DockerImage.fromRegistry`)
+or it can be built from a `Dockerfile` located inside your project (`DockerImage.fromBuild`).
 
 You can set the `CDK_DOCKER` environment variable in order to provide a custom
 docker program to execute. This may sometime be needed when building in
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ new assets.Asset(this, 'BundledAsset', {
       },
     },
     // Docker bundling fallback
-    image: BundlingDockerImage.fromRegistry('alpine'),
+    image: DockerImage.fromRegistry('alpine'),
     entrypoint: ['/bin/sh', '-c'],
     command: ['bundle'],
   },
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ Use `BundlingOutput.NOT_ARCHIVED` if the bundling output must always be zipped:
 const asset = new assets.Asset(this, 'BundledAsset', {
   path: '/path/to/asset',
   bundling: {
-    image: BundlingDockerImage.fromRegistry('alpine'),
+    image: DockerImage.fromRegistry('alpine'),
     command: ['command-that-produces-an-archive.sh'],
     outputType: BundlingOutput.NOT_ARCHIVED, // Bundling output will be zipped even though it produces a single archive file.
   },
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/bundling.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/bundling.ts
index 57885ceeca05c..059f2260c967b 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/bundling.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/lib/bundling.ts
@@ -135,6 +135,8 @@ export interface ILocalBundling {
 
 /**
  * A Docker image used for asset bundling
+ *
+ * @deprecated use DockerImage
  */
 export class BundlingDockerImage {
   /**
@@ -151,6 +153,8 @@ export class BundlingDockerImage {
    *
    * @param path The path to the directory containing the Docker file
    * @param options Docker build options
+   *
+   * @deprecated use DockerImage.fromBuild()
    */
   public static fromAsset(path: string, options: DockerBuildOptions = {}) {
     const buildArgs = options.buildArgs || {};
@@ -181,7 +185,7 @@ export class BundlingDockerImage {
   }
 
   /** @param image The Docker image */
-  private constructor(public readonly image: string, private readonly _imageHash?: string) {}
+  protected constructor(public readonly image: string, private readonly _imageHash?: string) {}
 
   /**
    * Provides a stable representation of this image for JSON serialization.
@@ -229,10 +233,16 @@ export class BundlingDockerImage {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Copies a file or directory out of the Docker image to the local filesystem
+   * Copies a file or directory out of the Docker image to the local filesystem.
+   *
+   * If `outputPath` is omitted the destination path is a temporary directory.
+   *
+   * @param imagePath the path in the Docker image
+   * @param outputPath the destination path for the copy operation
+   * @returns the destination path
    */
-  public cp(imagePath: string, outputPath: string) {
-    const { stdout } = dockerExec(['create', this.image]);
+  public cp(imagePath: string, outputPath?: string): string {
+    const { stdout } = dockerExec(['create', this.image], {}); // Empty options to avoid stdout redirect here
     const match = stdout.toString().match(/([0-9a-f]{16,})/);
     if (!match) {
       throw new Error('Failed to extract container ID from Docker create output');
@@ -240,16 +250,33 @@ export class BundlingDockerImage {
 
     const containerId = match[1];
     const containerPath = `${containerId}:${imagePath}`;
+    const destPath = outputPath ?? FileSystem.mkdtemp('cdk-docker-cp-');
     try {
-      dockerExec(['cp', containerPath, outputPath]);
+      dockerExec(['cp', containerPath, destPath]);
+      return destPath;
     } catch (err) {
-      throw new Error(`Failed to copy files from ${containerPath} to ${outputPath}: ${err}`);
+      throw new Error(`Failed to copy files from ${containerPath} to ${destPath}: ${err}`);
     } finally {
       dockerExec(['rm', '-v', containerId]);
     }
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * A Docker image
+ */
+export class DockerImage extends BundlingDockerImage {
+  /**
+   * Builds a Docker image
+   *
+   * @param path The path to the directory containing the Docker file
+   * @param options Docker build options
+   */
+  public static fromBuild(path: string, options: DockerBuildOptions = {}) {
+    return BundlingDockerImage.fromAsset(path, options);
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * A Docker volume
  */
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/bundling.test.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/bundling.test.ts
index 258860d65585c..8b03dce3da0d3 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/bundling.test.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/bundling.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import * as crypto from 'crypto';
 import * as path from 'path';
 import { nodeunitShim, Test } from 'nodeunit-shim';
 import * as sinon from 'sinon';
-import { BundlingDockerImage, FileSystem } from '../lib';
+import { BundlingDockerImage, DockerImage, FileSystem } from '../lib';
 
 nodeunitShim({
   'tearDown'(callback: any) {
@@ -263,4 +263,25 @@ nodeunitShim({
     test.ok(spawnSyncStub.calledWith(sinon.match.any, ['rm', '-v', containerId]));
     test.done();
   },
+
+  'cp utility copies to a temp dir of outputPath is omitted'(test: Test) {
+    // GIVEN
+    const containerId = '1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef';
+    sinon.stub(child_process, 'spawnSync').returns({
+      status: 0,
+      stderr: Buffer.from('stderr'),
+      stdout: Buffer.from(`${containerId}\n`),
+      pid: 123,
+      output: ['stdout', 'stderr'],
+      signal: null,
+    });
+
+    // WHEN
+    const tempPath = DockerImage.fromRegistry('alpine').cp('/foo/bar');
+
+    // THEN
+    test.ok(/cdk-docker-cp-/.test(tempPath));
+
+    test.done();
+  },
 });