diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/getVizualizationOptions.tsx b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/getVizualizationOptions.tsx
index 5222dd8156c..f0c3ce7a1c8 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/getVizualizationOptions.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/getVizualizationOptions.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { StandardEditorContext, VariableSuggestionsScope } from '@grafana/data';
-import { get as lodashGet, set as lodashSet } from 'lodash';
+import { get as lodashGet } from 'lodash';
 import { getDataLinksVariableSuggestions } from 'app/features/panel/panellinks/link_srv';
 import { OptionPaneRenderProps } from './types';
-import { updateDefaultFieldConfigValue } from './utils';
+import { updateDefaultFieldConfigValue, setOptionImmutably } from './utils';
 import { OptionsPaneItemDescriptor } from './OptionsPaneItemDescriptor';
 import { OptionsPaneCategoryDescriptor } from './OptionsPaneCategoryDescriptor';
 
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ export function getVizualizationOptions(props: OptionPaneRenderProps): OptionsPa
         description: pluginOption.description,
         render: function renderEditor() {
           const onChange = (value: any) => {
-            const newOptions = lodashSet({ ...currentOptions }, pluginOption.path, value);
+            const newOptions = setOptionImmutably(currentOptions, pluginOption.path, value);
             onPanelOptionsChanged(newOptions);
           };
 
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/utils.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/utils.test.ts
index 4dc7de9547b..c495c4c84e3 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/utils.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/utils.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { FieldConfig, FieldConfigSource, PanelPlugin, standardFieldConfigEditorRegistry } from '@grafana/data';
-import { supportsDataQuery, updateDefaultFieldConfigValue } from './utils';
+import { setOptionImmutably, supportsDataQuery, updateDefaultFieldConfigValue } from './utils';
 
 describe('standardFieldConfigEditorRegistry', () => {
   const dummyConfig: FieldConfig = {
@@ -86,3 +86,26 @@ describe('updateDefaultFieldConfigValue', () => {
     }
   );
 });
+
+describe('setOptionImmutably', () => {
+  it.each`
+    source                    | path       | value     | expected
+    ${{}}                     | ${'a'}     | ${1}      | ${{ a: 1 }}
+    ${{}}                     | ${'a.b.c'} | ${[1, 2]} | ${{ a: { b: { c: [1, 2] } } }}
+    ${{ a: {} }}              | ${'a.b.c'} | ${[1, 2]} | ${{ a: { b: { c: [1, 2] } } }}
+    ${{ b: {} }}              | ${'a.b.c'} | ${[1, 2]} | ${{ a: { b: { c: [1, 2] } }, b: {} }}
+    ${{ a: { b: { c: 3 } } }} | ${'a.b.c'} | ${[1, 2]} | ${{ a: { b: { c: [1, 2] } } }}
+  `('numeric-like text mapping, value:${value', ({ source, path, value, expected }) => {
+    expect(setOptionImmutably(source, path, value)).toEqual(expected);
+  });
+
+  it('does not mutate object under a path', () => {
+    const input = { a: { b: { c: { d: 1 }, e: { f: 1 } } }, aa: 1 };
+    const result = setOptionImmutably(input, 'a.b.c', { d: 2 });
+    expect(input.a).not.toEqual(result.a);
+    expect(input.aa).toEqual(result.aa);
+    expect(input.a.b).not.toEqual(result.a.b);
+    expect(input.a.b.c).not.toEqual(result.a.b.c);
+    expect(input.a.b.e).toEqual(result.a.b.e);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/utils.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/utils.ts
index 52bd49416b4..a6e4265857f 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/utils.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/utils.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { CSSProperties } from 'react';
-import { set as lodashSet, omit } from 'lodash';
+import { omit } from 'lodash';
 import { FieldConfigSource, PanelPlugin } from '@grafana/data';
 import { PanelModel } from '../../state/PanelModel';
 import { DisplayMode } from './types';
@@ -41,22 +41,22 @@ export const updateDefaultFieldConfigValue = (
   isCustom?: boolean
 ) => {
   let defaults = { ...config.defaults };
-  const remove = value === undefined || value === null || '';
+  const remove = value == null || value === '';
 
   if (isCustom) {
     if (defaults.custom) {
       if (remove) {
         defaults.custom = omit(defaults.custom, name);
       } else {
-        defaults.custom = lodashSet({ ...defaults.custom }, name, value);
+        defaults.custom = setOptionImmutably(defaults.custom, name, value);
       }
     } else if (!remove) {
-      defaults.custom = lodashSet({ ...defaults.custom }, name, value);
+      defaults.custom = setOptionImmutably(defaults.custom, name, value);
     }
   } else if (remove) {
     defaults = omit(defaults, name);
   } else {
-    defaults = lodashSet({ ...defaults }, name, value);
+    defaults = setOptionImmutably(defaults, name, value);
   }
 
   return {
@@ -64,3 +64,21 @@ export const updateDefaultFieldConfigValue = (
     defaults,
   };
 };
+
+export function setOptionImmutably<T extends object>(options: T, path: string | string[], value: any): T {
+  const splat = !Array.isArray(path) ? path.split('.') : path;
+
+  const key = splat.shift()!;
+
+  if (!splat.length) {
+    return { ...options, [key]: value };
+  }
+
+  let current = (options as Record<string, any>)[key];
+
+  if (current == null || typeof current !== 'object') {
+    current = {};
+  }
+
+  return { ...options, [key]: setOptionImmutably(current, splat, value) };
+}