diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index f6d11d80f..d4d511e04 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "279cf904654eeebfa37ac9bb1598880884924aab82e290aa65c9e77a0e142e06"
 dependencies = [
  "async-lock 2.8.0",
- "autocfg 1.3.0",
+ "autocfg",
  "blocking",
  "futures-lite 1.13.0",
 ]
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "0fc5b45d93ef0529756f812ca52e44c221b35341892d3dcc34132ac02f3dd2af"
 dependencies = [
  "async-lock 2.8.0",
- "autocfg 1.3.0",
+ "autocfg",
  "cfg-if",
  "concurrent-queue",
  "futures-lite 1.13.0",
@@ -278,15 +278,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "winapi",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "autocfg"
-version = "0.1.8"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "0dde43e75fd43e8a1bf86103336bc699aa8d17ad1be60c76c0bdfd4828e19b78"
-dependencies = [
- "autocfg 1.3.0",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "autocfg"
 version = "1.3.0"
@@ -294,13 +285,12 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "0c4b4d0bd25bd0b74681c0ad21497610ce1b7c91b1022cd21c80c6fbdd9476b0"
 
 [[package]]
-name = "backoff"
-version = "0.1.6"
+name = "backon"
+version = "1.2.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "66483433ebf577e03c6546df761778e4cc40b00e5a1ea7ed850733ffb555d71f"
+checksum = "e4fa97bb310c33c811334143cf64c5bb2b7b3c06e453db6b095d7061eff8f113"
 dependencies = [
- "instant",
- "rand 0.6.5",
+ "fastrand 2.1.1",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -407,15 +397,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "vec_map",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "cloudabi"
-version = "0.0.3"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "ddfc5b9aa5d4507acaf872de71051dfd0e309860e88966e1051e462a077aac4f"
-dependencies = [
- "bitflags 1.3.2",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "cmake"
 version = "0.1.51"
@@ -958,7 +939,7 @@ version = "0.2.19"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "071dfc062690e90b734c0b2273ce72ad0ffa95f0c74596bc250dcfd960262841"
 dependencies = [
- "autocfg 1.3.0",
+ "autocfg",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1070,7 +1051,7 @@ version = "2.8.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "4b2d323e8ca7996b3e23126511a523f7e62924d93ecd5ae73b333815b0eb3dce"
 dependencies = [
- "autocfg 1.3.0",
+ "autocfg",
  "bitflags 1.3.2",
  "cfg-if",
  "concurrent-queue",
@@ -1146,35 +1127,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "winapi",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "rand"
-version = "0.6.5"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "6d71dacdc3c88c1fde3885a3be3fbab9f35724e6ce99467f7d9c5026132184ca"
-dependencies = [
- "autocfg 0.1.8",
- "libc",
- "rand_chacha",
- "rand_core 0.4.2",
- "rand_hc",
- "rand_isaac",
- "rand_jitter",
- "rand_os",
- "rand_pcg",
- "rand_xorshift",
- "winapi",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "rand_chacha"
-version = "0.1.1"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "556d3a1ca6600bfcbab7c7c91ccb085ac7fbbcd70e008a98742e7847f4f7bcef"
-dependencies = [
- "autocfg 0.1.8",
- "rand_core 0.3.1",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "rand_core"
 version = "0.3.1"
@@ -1190,74 +1142,12 @@ version = "0.4.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "9c33a3c44ca05fa6f1807d8e6743f3824e8509beca625669633be0acbdf509dc"
 
-[[package]]
-name = "rand_hc"
-version = "0.1.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "7b40677c7be09ae76218dc623efbf7b18e34bced3f38883af07bb75630a21bc4"
-dependencies = [
- "rand_core 0.3.1",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "rand_isaac"
-version = "0.1.1"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "ded997c9d5f13925be2a6fd7e66bf1872597f759fd9dd93513dd7e92e5a5ee08"
-dependencies = [
- "rand_core 0.3.1",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "rand_jitter"
-version = "0.1.4"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "1166d5c91dc97b88d1decc3285bb0a99ed84b05cfd0bc2341bdf2d43fc41e39b"
-dependencies = [
- "libc",
- "rand_core 0.4.2",
- "winapi",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "rand_os"
-version = "0.1.3"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "7b75f676a1e053fc562eafbb47838d67c84801e38fc1ba459e8f180deabd5071"
-dependencies = [
- "cloudabi",
- "fuchsia-cprng",
- "libc",
- "rand_core 0.4.2",
- "rdrand",
- "winapi",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "rand_pcg"
-version = "0.1.2"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "abf9b09b01790cfe0364f52bf32995ea3c39f4d2dd011eac241d2914146d0b44"
-dependencies = [
- "autocfg 0.1.8",
- "rand_core 0.4.2",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "rand_xorshift"
-version = "0.1.1"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "cbf7e9e623549b0e21f6e97cf8ecf247c1a8fd2e8a992ae265314300b2455d5c"
-dependencies = [
- "rand_core 0.3.1",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "rdkafka"
 version = "0.36.2"
 dependencies = [
  "async-std",
- "backoff",
+ "backon",
  "chrono",
  "clap",
  "env_logger",
@@ -1450,7 +1340,7 @@ version = "0.4.9"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "8f92a496fb766b417c996b9c5e57daf2f7ad3b0bebe1ccfca4856390e3d3bb67"
 dependencies = [
- "autocfg 1.3.0",
+ "autocfg",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index b9045ce58..04df91504 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ tracing = { version = "0.1.30", optional = true }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 async-std = { version = "1.9.0", features = ["attributes"] }
-backoff = "0.1.5"
+backon = { version = "1.2", default-features = false, features = ["std-blocking-sleep"] }
 chrono = "0.4.0"
 clap = "2.18.0"
 env_logger = "0.9.0"
diff --git a/tests/test_admin.rs b/tests/test_admin.rs
index 4cf0e9a81..5c4e4eeef 100644
--- a/tests/test_admin.rs
+++ b/tests/test_admin.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 use std::time::Duration;
 
-use backoff::{ExponentialBackoff, Operation};
+use backon::{BlockingRetryable, ExponentialBuilder};
 
 use rdkafka::admin::{
     AdminClient, AdminOptions, AlterConfig, ConfigEntry, ConfigSource, GroupResult, NewPartitions,
@@ -75,10 +75,6 @@ fn fetch_metadata(topic: &str) -> Metadata {
         create_config().create().expect("consumer creation failed");
     let timeout = Some(Duration::from_secs(1));
 
-    let mut backoff = ExponentialBackoff {
-        max_elapsed_time: Some(Duration::from_secs(5)),
-        ..Default::default()
-    };
     (|| {
         let metadata = consumer
             .fetch_metadata(Some(topic), timeout)
@@ -90,9 +86,10 @@ fn fetch_metadata(topic: &str) -> Metadata {
         if topic.partitions().is_empty() {
             Err("metadata fetch returned a topic with no partitions".to_string())?
         }
-        Ok(metadata)
+        Ok::<_, String>(metadata)
     })
-    .retry(&mut backoff)
+    .retry(ExponentialBuilder::default().with_max_delay(Duration::from_secs(5)))
+    .call()
     .unwrap()
 }
 
@@ -101,10 +98,6 @@ fn verify_delete(topic: &str) {
         create_config().create().expect("consumer creation failed");
     let timeout = Some(Duration::from_secs(1));
 
-    let mut backoff = ExponentialBackoff {
-        max_elapsed_time: Some(Duration::from_secs(5)),
-        ..Default::default()
-    };
     (|| {
         // Asking about the topic specifically will recreate it (under the
         // default Kafka configuration, at least) so we have to ask for the list
@@ -115,9 +108,10 @@ fn verify_delete(topic: &str) {
         if metadata.topics().iter().any(|t| t.name() == topic) {
             Err(format!("topic {} still exists", topic))?
         }
-        Ok(())
+        Ok::<(), String>(())
     })
-    .retry(&mut backoff)
+    .retry(ExponentialBuilder::default().with_max_delay(Duration::from_secs(5)))
+    .call()
     .unwrap()
 }