diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/query/QueryVariableEditor.test.tsx b/public/app/features/variables/query/QueryVariableEditor.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c4df8f2c358
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/query/QueryVariableEditor.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
+import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event';
+import { DataSourceApi } from '@grafana/data';
+
+import { Props, QueryVariableEditorUnConnected } from './QueryVariableEditor';
+import { initialQueryVariableModelState } from './reducer';
+import { initialVariableEditorState } from '../editor/reducer';
+import { describe, expect } from '../../../../test/lib/common';
+import { NEW_VARIABLE_ID } from '../state/types';
+import DefaultVariableQueryEditor from '../editor/DefaultVariableQueryEditor';
+
+const setupTestContext = (options: Partial<Props>) => {
+  const defaults: Props = {
+    variable: { ...initialQueryVariableModelState, useTags: true },
+    initQueryVariableEditor: jest.fn(),
+    changeQueryVariableDataSource: jest.fn(),
+    changeQueryVariableQuery: jest.fn(),
+    changeVariableMultiValue: jest.fn(),
+    editor: {
+      ...initialVariableEditorState,
+      extended: {
+        VariableQueryEditor: DefaultVariableQueryEditor,
+        dataSources: [],
+        dataSource: ({} as unknown) as DataSourceApi,
+      },
+    },
+    onPropChange: jest.fn(),
+  };
+
+  const props: Props & Record<string, any> = { ...defaults, ...options };
+  const { rerender } = render(<QueryVariableEditorUnConnected {...props} />);
+
+  return { rerender, props };
+};
+
+describe('QueryVariableEditor', () => {
+  describe('when the component is mounted', () => {
+    it('then it should call initQueryVariableEditor', () => {
+      const { props } = setupTestContext({});
+
+      expect(props.initQueryVariableEditor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(props.initQueryVariableEditor).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ type: 'query', id: NEW_VARIABLE_ID });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('when the user changes', () => {
+    it.each`
+      fieldName           | propName                      | expectedArgs
+      ${'query'}          | ${'changeQueryVariableQuery'} | ${[{ type: 'query', id: NEW_VARIABLE_ID }, 't', 't']}
+      ${'regex'}          | ${'onPropChange'}             | ${{ propName: 'regex', propValue: 't', updateOptions: true }}
+      ${'tagsQuery'}      | ${'onPropChange'}             | ${{ propName: 'tagsQuery', propValue: 't', updateOptions: true }}
+      ${'tagValuesQuery'} | ${'onPropChange'}             | ${{ propName: 'tagValuesQuery', propValue: 't', updateOptions: true }}
+    `(
+      '$fieldName field and tabs away then $propName should be called with correct args',
+      ({ fieldName, propName, expectedArgs }) => {
+        const { props } = setupTestContext({});
+        const propUnderTest = props[propName];
+        const fieldAccessor = fieldAccessors[fieldName];
+
+        userEvent.type(fieldAccessor(), 't');
+        userEvent.tab();
+
+        expect(propUnderTest).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+        expect(propUnderTest).toHaveBeenCalledWith(...expectedArgs);
+      }
+    );
+  });
+
+  describe('when the user changes', () => {
+    it.each`
+      fieldName           | propName
+      ${'query'}          | ${'changeQueryVariableQuery'}
+      ${'regex'}          | ${'onPropChange'}
+      ${'tagsQuery'}      | ${'onPropChange'}
+      ${'tagValuesQuery'} | ${'onPropChange'}
+    `(
+      '$fieldName field but reverts the change and tabs away then $propName should not be called',
+      ({ fieldName, propName }) => {
+        const { props } = setupTestContext({});
+        const propUnderTest = props[propName];
+        const fieldAccessor = fieldAccessors[fieldName];
+
+        userEvent.type(fieldAccessor(), 't');
+        userEvent.type(fieldAccessor(), '{backspace}');
+        userEvent.tab();
+
+        expect(propUnderTest).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      }
+    );
+  });
+});
+
+const getQueryField = () =>
+  screen.getByRole('textbox', { name: /variable editor form default variable query editor textarea/i });
+
+const getRegExField = () => screen.getByRole('textbox', { name: /variable editor form query regex field/i });
+
+const getTagsQueryField = () => screen.getByRole('textbox', { name: /variable editor form query tagsquery field/i });
+
+const getTagValuesQueryField = () =>
+  screen.getByRole('textbox', { name: /variable editor form query tagsvaluesquery field/i });
+
+const fieldAccessors: Record<string, () => HTMLElement> = {
+  query: getQueryField,
+  regex: getRegExField,
+  tagsQuery: getTagsQueryField,
+  tagValuesQuery: getTagValuesQueryField,
+};
diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/query/QueryVariableEditor.tsx b/public/app/features/variables/query/QueryVariableEditor.tsx
index 127e24b7c4a..c75ed0a7336 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/query/QueryVariableEditor.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/query/QueryVariableEditor.tsx
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ interface DispatchProps {
   changeVariableMultiValue: typeof changeVariableMultiValue;
 }
 
-type Props = OwnProps & ConnectedProps & DispatchProps;
+export type Props = OwnProps & ConnectedProps & DispatchProps;
 
 export interface State {
   regex: string | null;
@@ -73,7 +73,9 @@ export class QueryVariableEditorUnConnected extends PureComponent<Props, State>
   };
 
   onQueryChange = async (query: any, definition: string) => {
-    this.props.changeQueryVariableQuery(toVariableIdentifier(this.props.variable), query, definition);
+    if (this.props.variable.query !== query) {
+      this.props.changeQueryVariableQuery(toVariableIdentifier(this.props.variable), query, definition);
+    }
   };
 
   onRegExChange = (event: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
@@ -81,7 +83,10 @@ export class QueryVariableEditorUnConnected extends PureComponent<Props, State>
   };
 
   onRegExBlur = async (event: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
-    this.props.onPropChange({ propName: 'regex', propValue: event.target.value, updateOptions: true });
+    const regex = event.target.value;
+    if (this.props.variable.regex !== regex) {
+      this.props.onPropChange({ propName: 'regex', propValue: regex, updateOptions: true });
+    }
   };
 
   onTagsQueryChange = async (event: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
@@ -89,7 +94,10 @@ export class QueryVariableEditorUnConnected extends PureComponent<Props, State>
   };
 
   onTagsQueryBlur = async (event: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
-    this.props.onPropChange({ propName: 'tagsQuery', propValue: event.target.value, updateOptions: true });
+    const tagsQuery = event.target.value;
+    if (this.props.variable.tagsQuery !== tagsQuery) {
+      this.props.onPropChange({ propName: 'tagsQuery', propValue: tagsQuery, updateOptions: true });
+    }
   };
 
   onTagValuesQueryChange = async (event: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
@@ -97,7 +105,10 @@ export class QueryVariableEditorUnConnected extends PureComponent<Props, State>
   };
 
   onTagValuesQueryBlur = async (event: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
-    this.props.onPropChange({ propName: 'tagValuesQuery', propValue: event.target.value, updateOptions: true });
+    const tagValuesQuery = event.target.value;
+    if (this.props.variable.tagValuesQuery !== tagValuesQuery) {
+      this.props.onPropChange({ propName: 'tagValuesQuery', propValue: tagValuesQuery, updateOptions: true });
+    }
   };
 
   onRefreshChange = (event: ChangeEvent<HTMLSelectElement>) => {