diff --git a/test/04-runtime.bats b/test/04-runtime.bats
index 60cc07b1..9e03a5cb 100644
--- a/test/04-runtime.bats
+++ b/test/04-runtime.bats
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ teardown() {
     assert_file_exists $TEST_TMPDIR/syncpipe-output
     run cat $TEST_TMPDIR/syncpipe-output
     CONTAINER_PID=$(cat "$PID_FILE")
-    assert "${output}" =~ "\"pid\": $CONTAINER_PID"
+    assert_json "${output}" =~ "\"pid\": $CONTAINER_PID"
 }
 
 @test "runtime: runc error with _OCI_SYNCPIPE defined" {
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ teardown() {
     # Check that the error is sent to the sync pipe.
     assert_file_exists $TEST_TMPDIR/syncpipe-output
     run cat $TEST_TMPDIR/syncpipe-output
-    assert "${output}" =~ "\"pid\": -1"
-    assert "${output}" =~ "\"message\":"
-    assert "${output}" =~ "runc create failed"
+    assert_json "${output}" =~ "\"pid\": -1"
+    assert_json "${output}" =~ "\"message\":"
+    assert_json "${output}" =~ "runc create failed"
 }
diff --git a/test/08-exec.bats b/test/08-exec.bats
index e9e6de5c..6d0057fe 100644
--- a/test/08-exec.bats
+++ b/test/08-exec.bats
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ teardown() {
     # Check that the conmon wrote something back.
     assert_file_exists $TEST_TMPDIR/attachpipe-output
     run cat $TEST_TMPDIR/attachpipe-output
-    assert "${output}" =~ '"data": 0'
+    assert_json "${output}" =~ '"data": 0'
 }
 
 @test "exec: --exec-attach with _OCI_STARTPIPE" {
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ teardown() {
     # Check that the conmon wrote something back.
     assert_file_exists $TEST_TMPDIR/syncpipe-output
     run cat $TEST_TMPDIR/syncpipe-output
-    assert "${output}" =~ '"exit_code": 0'
+    assert_json "${output}" =~ '"exit_code": 0'
 }
 
 @test "exec: --exec --api-version=1 with _OCI_SYNCPIPE defined" {
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ teardown() {
     assert_file_exists $TEST_TMPDIR/syncpipe-output
     run cat $TEST_TMPDIR/syncpipe-output
     CONTAINER_PID=$(cat "$PID_FILE")
-    assert "${output}" =~ "\"data\": $CONTAINER_PID"
-    assert "${output}" =~ '"data": 0'
+    assert_json "${output}" =~ "\"data\": $CONTAINER_PID"
+    assert_json "${output}" =~ '"data": 0'
 }
 
diff --git a/test/test_helper.bash b/test/test_helper.bash
index 3da0677d..3ea2ee21 100644
--- a/test/test_helper.bash
+++ b/test/test_helper.bash
@@ -643,3 +643,15 @@ function die() {
     echo "#\\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^" >&2
     bail-now
 }
+
+# Helper function wrapping the `assert`. It expects json as a first
+# argument and normalizes it so it is exactly the same no matter what
+# generated it.
+assert_json() {
+    echo "$1"
+    if ! normalized_json=$(printf '%s' "$1" | jq -S .); then
+        die "Invalid JSON passed to assert_json: $normalized_json"
+    fi
+    echo "$normalized_json"
+    assert "$normalized_json" "$2" "$3" "$4"
+}