diff --git a/post-processor/vagrant/post-processor.go b/post-processor/vagrant/post-processor.go
index e43690e0c..9c8b9c75b 100644
--- a/post-processor/vagrant/post-processor.go
+++ b/post-processor/vagrant/post-processor.go
@@ -113,14 +113,8 @@ func (p *PostProcessor) PostProcessProvider(name string, provider Provider, ui p
 	// Write our Vagrantfile
 	var customVagrantfile string
 	if config.VagrantfileTemplate != "" {
-		vagrantfilePath, err := config.tpl.Process(config.VagrantfileTemplate, nil)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, false, err
-		}
-
-		ui.Message(fmt.Sprintf(
-			"Using custom Vagrantfile: %s", vagrantfilePath))
-		customBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(vagrantfilePath)
+		ui.Message(fmt.Sprintf("Using custom Vagrantfile: %s", config.VagrantfileTemplate))
+		customBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(config.VagrantfileTemplate)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, false, err
 		}
@@ -200,6 +194,17 @@ func (p *PostProcessor) configureSingle(config *Config, raws ...interface{}) err
 	// Accumulate any errors
 	errs := common.CheckUnusedConfig(md)
 
+	templates := map[string]*string{
+		"vagrantfile_template": &config.VagrantfileTemplate,
+	}
+
+	for key, ptr := range templates {
+		*ptr, err = config.tpl.Process(*ptr, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			errs = packer.MultiErrorAppend(errs, fmt.Errorf("Error processing %s: %s", key, err))
+		}
+	}
+
 	validates := map[string]*string{
 		"output":               &config.OutputPath,
 		"vagrantfile_template": &config.VagrantfileTemplate,
diff --git a/post-processor/vagrant/post-processor_test.go b/post-processor/vagrant/post-processor_test.go
index 0ef151ebe..b035f39e0 100644
--- a/post-processor/vagrant/post-processor_test.go
+++ b/post-processor/vagrant/post-processor_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"compress/flate"
 	"github.com/mitchellh/packer/packer"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 )
@@ -124,6 +126,41 @@ func TestPostProcessorPostProcess_badId(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestPostProcessorPostProcess_vagrantfileUserVariable(t *testing.T) {
+	var p PostProcessor
+
+	f, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "packer")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
+	}
+	defer os.Remove(f.Name())
+
+	c := map[string]interface{}{
+		"packer_user_variables": map[string]string{
+			"foo": f.Name(),
+		},
+
+		"vagrantfile_template": "{{user `foo`}}",
+	}
+	err = p.Configure(c)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	a := &packer.MockArtifact{
+		BuilderIdValue: "packer.parallels",
+	}
+	a2, _, err := p.PostProcess(testUi(), a)
+	if a2 != nil {
+		for _, fn := range a2.Files() {
+			defer os.Remove(fn)
+		}
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestProviderForName(t *testing.T) {
 	if v, ok := providerForName("virtualbox").(*VBoxProvider); !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("bad: %#v", v)