diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/run_config.go b/builder/amazon/common/run_config.go
index 805a34c4b..ed280ec6d 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/run_config.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/run_config.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package common
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"github.com/mitchellh/packer/common"
 	"time"
 )
 
@@ -23,7 +24,15 @@ type RunConfig struct {
 	sshTimeout time.Duration
 }
 
-func (c *RunConfig) Prepare() []error {
+func (c *RunConfig) Prepare(t *common.Template) []error {
+	if t == nil {
+		var err error
+		t, err = common.NewTemplate()
+		if err != nil {
+			return []error{err}
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Defaults
 	if c.SSHPort == 0 {
 		c.SSHPort = 22
@@ -48,6 +57,26 @@ func (c *RunConfig) Prepare() []error {
 		errs = append(errs, errors.New("An ssh_username must be specified"))
 	}
 
+	templates := map[string]*string{
+		"iam_instance_profile": &c.IamInstanceProfile,
+		"instance_type":        &c.InstanceType,
+		"ssh_timeout":          &c.RawSSHTimeout,
+		"security_group_id":    &c.SecurityGroupId,
+		"ssh_username":         &c.SSHUsername,
+		"source_ami":           &c.SourceAmi,
+		"subnet_id":            &c.SubnetId,
+		"vpc_id":               &c.VpcId,
+	}
+
+	for n, ptr := range templates {
+		var err error
+		*ptr, err = t.Process(*ptr, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			errs = append(
+				errs, fmt.Errorf("Error processing %s: %s", n, err))
+		}
+	}
+
 	c.sshTimeout, err = time.ParseDuration(c.RawSSHTimeout)
 	if err != nil {
 		errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("Failed parsing ssh_timeout: %s", err))
diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/run_config_test.go b/builder/amazon/common/run_config_test.go
index b34b4c614..ddfe85069 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/run_config_test.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/run_config_test.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ func testConfig() *RunConfig {
 
 func TestRunConfigPrepare(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testConfig()
-	err := c.Prepare()
+	err := c.Prepare(nil)
 	if len(err) > 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
 	}
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ func TestRunConfigPrepare(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRunConfigPrepare_InstanceType(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testConfig()
 	c.InstanceType = ""
-	if err := c.Prepare(); len(err) != 1 {
+	if err := c.Prepare(nil); len(err) != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
 	}
 }
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func TestRunConfigPrepare_InstanceType(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRunConfigPrepare_SourceAmi(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testConfig()
 	c.SourceAmi = ""
-	if err := c.Prepare(); len(err) != 1 {
+	if err := c.Prepare(nil); len(err) != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
 	}
 }
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ func TestRunConfigPrepare_SourceAmi(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRunConfigPrepare_SSHPort(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testConfig()
 	c.SSHPort = 0
-	if err := c.Prepare(); len(err) != 0 {
+	if err := c.Prepare(nil); len(err) != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
 	}
 
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ func TestRunConfigPrepare_SSHPort(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	c.SSHPort = 44
-	if err := c.Prepare(); len(err) != 0 {
+	if err := c.Prepare(nil); len(err) != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
 	}
 
@@ -70,12 +70,12 @@ func TestRunConfigPrepare_SSHPort(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRunConfigPrepare_SSHTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testConfig()
 	c.RawSSHTimeout = ""
-	if err := c.Prepare(); len(err) != 0 {
+	if err := c.Prepare(nil); len(err) != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
 	}
 
 	c.RawSSHTimeout = "bad"
-	if err := c.Prepare(); len(err) != 1 {
+	if err := c.Prepare(nil); len(err) != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
 	}
 }
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ func TestRunConfigPrepare_SSHTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRunConfigPrepare_SSHUsername(t *testing.T) {
 	c := testConfig()
 	c.SSHUsername = ""
-	if err := c.Prepare(); len(err) != 1 {
+	if err := c.Prepare(nil); len(err) != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
 	}
 }