diff --git a/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/blocks/types.ts b/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/blocks/types.ts
index 9dfc496765fc..5f1ac8833578 100644
--- a/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/blocks/types.ts
+++ b/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/blocks/types.ts
@@ -195,6 +195,17 @@ export enum AttestationImportOpt {
   Force,
 }
 
+export enum BlobSidecarValidation {
+  /** When recieved in gossip the blobs are individually verified before import */
+  Individual,
+  /**
+   * Blobs when recieved in req/resp can be fully verified before import
+   * but currently used in spec tests where blobs come without proofs and assumed
+   * to be valid
+   */
+  Full,
+}
+
 export type ImportBlockOpts = {
   /**
    * TEMP: Review if this is safe, Lighthouse always imports attestations even in finalized sync.
@@ -229,7 +240,7 @@ export type ImportBlockOpts = {
    */
   validSignatures?: boolean;
   /** Set to true if already run `validateBlobSidecars()` sucessfully on the blobs */
-  validBlobSidecars?: boolean;
+  validBlobSidecars?: BlobSidecarValidation;
   /** Seen timestamp seconds */
   seenTimestampSec?: number;
   /** Set to true if persist block right at verification time */
diff --git a/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/blocks/verifyBlocksSanityChecks.ts b/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/blocks/verifyBlocksSanityChecks.ts
index 8e1d853869f3..9fb7d04f1ed8 100644
--- a/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/blocks/verifyBlocksSanityChecks.ts
+++ b/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/blocks/verifyBlocksSanityChecks.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import {toHexString} from "@lodestar/utils";
 import {IClock} from "../../util/clock.js";
 import {BlockError, BlockErrorCode} from "../errors/index.js";
 import {validateBlobSidecars} from "../validation/blobSidecar.js";
-import {BlockInput, BlockInputType, ImportBlockOpts} from "./types.js";
+import {BlockInput, BlockInputType, ImportBlockOpts, BlobSidecarValidation} from "./types.js";
 
 /**
  * Verifies some early cheap sanity checks on the block before running the full state transition.
@@ -125,15 +125,20 @@ function maybeValidateBlobs(
 ): DataAvailableStatus {
   switch (blockInput.type) {
     case BlockInputType.postDeneb: {
-      if (opts.validBlobSidecars) {
+      if (opts.validBlobSidecars === BlobSidecarValidation.Full) {
         return DataAvailableStatus.available;
       }
 
+      // run full validation
       const {block, blobs} = blockInput;
       const blockSlot = block.message.slot;
       const {blobKzgCommitments} = (block as deneb.SignedBeaconBlock).message.body;
       const beaconBlockRoot = config.getForkTypes(blockSlot).BeaconBlock.hashTreeRoot(block.message);
-      validateBlobSidecars(blockSlot, beaconBlockRoot, blobKzgCommitments, blobs);
+
+      // if the blob siddecars have been individually verified then we can skip kzg proof check
+      // but other checks to match blobs with block data still need to be performed
+      const skipProofsCheck = opts.validBlobSidecars === BlobSidecarValidation.Individual;
+      validateBlobSidecars(blockSlot, beaconBlockRoot, blobKzgCommitments, blobs, {skipProofsCheck});
 
       return DataAvailableStatus.available;
     }
diff --git a/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/validation/blobSidecar.ts b/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/validation/blobSidecar.ts
index d876a1098611..b5aab323c269 100644
--- a/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/validation/blobSidecar.ts
+++ b/packages/beacon-node/src/chain/validation/blobSidecar.ts
@@ -151,7 +151,8 @@ export function validateBlobSidecars(
   blockSlot: Slot,
   blockRoot: Root,
   expectedKzgCommitments: deneb.BlobKzgCommitments,
-  blobSidecars: deneb.BlobSidecars
+  blobSidecars: deneb.BlobSidecars,
+  opts: {skipProofsCheck: boolean} = {skipProofsCheck: false}
 ): void {
   // assert len(expected_kzg_commitments) == len(blobs)
   if (expectedKzgCommitments.length !== blobSidecars.length) {
@@ -182,7 +183,10 @@ export function validateBlobSidecars(
       blobs.push(blobSidecar.blob);
       proofs.push(blobSidecar.kzgProof);
     }
-    validateBlobsAndProofs(expectedKzgCommitments, blobs, proofs);
+
+    if (!opts.skipProofsCheck) {
+      validateBlobsAndProofs(expectedKzgCommitments, blobs, proofs);
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/beacon-node/src/network/processor/gossipHandlers.ts b/packages/beacon-node/src/network/processor/gossipHandlers.ts
index 10d738e61e49..2e9ab3bb5a11 100644
--- a/packages/beacon-node/src/network/processor/gossipHandlers.ts
+++ b/packages/beacon-node/src/network/processor/gossipHandlers.ts
@@ -45,7 +45,13 @@ import {PeerAction} from "../peers/index.js";
 import {validateLightClientFinalityUpdate} from "../../chain/validation/lightClientFinalityUpdate.js";
 import {validateLightClientOptimisticUpdate} from "../../chain/validation/lightClientOptimisticUpdate.js";
 import {validateGossipBlobSidecar} from "../../chain/validation/blobSidecar.js";
-import {BlockInput, BlockSource, getBlockInput, GossipedInputType} from "../../chain/blocks/types.js";
+import {
+  BlockInput,
+  BlockSource,
+  getBlockInput,
+  GossipedInputType,
+  BlobSidecarValidation,
+} from "../../chain/blocks/types.js";
 import {sszDeserialize} from "../gossip/topic.js";
 import {INetworkCore} from "../core/index.js";
 import {INetwork} from "../interface.js";
@@ -227,7 +233,7 @@ function getDefaultHandlers(modules: ValidatorFnsModules, options: GossipHandler
         // proposer signature already checked in validateBeaconBlock()
         validProposerSignature: true,
         // blobSidecars already checked in validateGossipBlobSidecars()
-        validBlobSidecars: true,
+        validBlobSidecars: BlobSidecarValidation.Individual,
         // It's critical to keep a good number of mesh peers.
         // To do that, the Gossip Job Wait Time should be consistently <3s to avoid the behavior penalties in gossip
         // Gossip Job Wait Time depends on the BLS Job Wait Time
diff --git a/packages/beacon-node/test/spec/presets/fork_choice.test.ts b/packages/beacon-node/test/spec/presets/fork_choice.test.ts
index 7f7548a6fc16..0ab7b3b363b5 100644
--- a/packages/beacon-node/test/spec/presets/fork_choice.test.ts
+++ b/packages/beacon-node/test/spec/presets/fork_choice.test.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,12 @@ import {ExecutionEngineMockBackend} from "../../../src/execution/engine/mock.js"
 import {defaultChainOptions} from "../../../src/chain/options.js";
 import {getStubbedBeaconDb} from "../../utils/mocks/db.js";
 import {ClockStopped} from "../../utils/mocks/clock.js";
-import {getBlockInput, AttestationImportOpt, BlockSource} from "../../../src/chain/blocks/types.js";
+import {
+  getBlockInput,
+  AttestationImportOpt,
+  BlockSource,
+  BlobSidecarValidation,
+} from "../../../src/chain/blocks/types.js";
 import {ZERO_HASH_HEX} from "../../../src/constants/constants.js";
 import {PowMergeBlock} from "../../../src/eth1/interface.js";
 import {assertCorrectProgressiveBalances} from "../config.js";
@@ -216,7 +221,7 @@ const forkChoiceTest =
 
                 await chain.processBlock(blockImport, {
                   seenTimestampSec: tickTime,
-                  validBlobSidecars: true,
+                  validBlobSidecars: BlobSidecarValidation.Full,
                   importAttestations: AttestationImportOpt.Force,
                 });
                 if (!isValid) throw Error("Expect error since this is a negative test");