diff --git a/app/models/application_setting.rb b/app/models/application_setting.rb
index 54139f61a16..86ffd198ab1 100644
--- a/app/models/application_setting.rb
+++ b/app/models/application_setting.rb
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ class ApplicationSetting < ActiveRecord::Base
   end
 
   def self.create_from_defaults
-    create(defaults)
+    build_from_defaults.tap(&:save)
   end
 
   def self.human_attribute_name(attr, _options = {})
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/current_settings.rb b/lib/gitlab/current_settings.rb
index 570bfb80fba..552aad83dd4 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/current_settings.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/current_settings.rb
@@ -51,8 +51,7 @@ module Gitlab
         elsif current_settings.present?
           current_settings
         else
-          ::ApplicationSetting.create_from_defaults ||
-            in_memory_application_settings
+          ::ApplicationSetting.create_from_defaults
         end
       end
 
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/current_settings_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/current_settings_spec.rb
index 06772fffce7..add8867d243 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/current_settings_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/current_settings_spec.rb
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ describe Gitlab::CurrentSettings do
           expect(ApplicationSetting).not_to receive(:current)
         end
 
-        it 'returns an in-memory ApplicationSetting object' do
+        it 'returns a FakeApplicationSettings object' do
           expect(described_class.current_application_settings).to be_a(Gitlab::FakeApplicationSettings)
         end
 
@@ -157,17 +157,12 @@ describe Gitlab::CurrentSettings do
           end
         end
 
-        context 'when the application_settings table does not exists' do
-          it 'returns an in-memory ApplicationSetting object' do
-            expect(ApplicationSetting).to receive(:create_from_defaults).and_raise(ActiveRecord::StatementInvalid)
-
-            expect(described_class.current_application_settings).to be_a(Gitlab::FakeApplicationSettings)
-          end
-        end
-
-        context 'when the application_settings table is not fully migrated' do
-          it 'returns an in-memory ApplicationSetting object' do
-            expect(ApplicationSetting).to receive(:create_from_defaults).and_raise(ActiveRecord::UnknownAttributeError)
+        context 'when the application_settings table does not exist' do
+          it 'returns a FakeApplicationSettings object' do
+            expect(Gitlab::Database)
+              .to receive(:cached_table_exists?)
+              .with('application_settings')
+              .and_return(false)
 
             expect(described_class.current_application_settings).to be_a(Gitlab::FakeApplicationSettings)
           end