diff --git a/packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/flutter_plugins.dart b/packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/flutter_plugins.dart
index 7901773e10..3d11a0cf4b 100644
--- a/packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/flutter_plugins.dart
+++ b/packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/flutter_plugins.dart
@@ -244,7 +244,15 @@ bool _writeFlutterPluginsList(
   final String? oldPluginsFileStringContent = _readFileContent(pluginsFile);
   bool pluginsChanged = true;
   if (oldPluginsFileStringContent != null) {
-    pluginsChanged = oldPluginsFileStringContent.contains(pluginsMap.toString());
+    Object? decodedJson;
+    try {
+      decodedJson = jsonDecode(oldPluginsFileStringContent);
+      if (decodedJson is Map<String, Object?>) {
+        final String jsonOfNewPluginsMap = jsonEncode(pluginsMap);
+        final String jsonOfOldPluginsMap = jsonEncode(decodedJson[_kFlutterPluginsPluginListKey]);
+        pluginsChanged = jsonOfNewPluginsMap != jsonOfOldPluginsMap;
+      }
+    } on FormatException catch (_) {}
   }
   final String pluginFileContent = json.encode(result);
   pluginsFile.writeAsStringSync(pluginFileContent, flush: true);
diff --git a/packages/flutter_tools/test/general.shard/plugins_test.dart b/packages/flutter_tools/test/general.shard/plugins_test.dart
index 6652210e3d..39ff645ecc 100644
--- a/packages/flutter_tools/test/general.shard/plugins_test.dart
+++ b/packages/flutter_tools/test/general.shard/plugins_test.dart
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import 'package:flutter_tools/src/flutter_manifest.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_tools/src/flutter_plugins.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_tools/src/globals.dart' as globals;
 import 'package:flutter_tools/src/ios/xcodeproj.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/macos/cocoapods.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_tools/src/macos/darwin_dependency_management.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_tools/src/platform_plugins.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_tools/src/plugins.dart';
@@ -102,6 +103,8 @@ void main() {
     late FakeLinuxProject linuxProject;
     late FakeSystemClock systemClock;
     late FlutterVersion flutterVersion;
+    late FakeCocoaPodsCapturesInvalidate cocoaPods;
+
     // A Windows-style filesystem. This is not populated by default, so tests
     // using it instead of fs must re-run any necessary setup (e.g.,
     // setUpProject).
@@ -190,6 +193,7 @@ void main() {
       fsWindows = MemoryFileSystem(style: FileSystemStyle.windows);
       systemClock = FakeSystemClock()..currentTime = DateTime(1970);
       flutterVersion = FakeFlutterVersion(frameworkVersion: '1.0.0');
+      cocoaPods = FakeCocoaPodsCapturesInvalidate();
 
       // Add basic properties to the Flutter project and subprojects
       setUpProject(fs);
@@ -628,6 +632,78 @@ dependencies:
         },
       );
 
+      testUsingContext(
+        'Refreshing the plugin list for iOS/macOS projects invokes invalidatePodInstallOutput if the plugins changed',
+        () async {
+          // Refresh the plugin list (we have no plugins).
+          await refreshPluginsList(flutterProject, iosPlatform: true, macOSPlatform: true);
+          expect(
+            cocoaPods.capturedInvocations,
+            isEmpty,
+            reason: 'No plugins exist, so no invalidatePodInstallOutput calls expected.',
+          );
+
+          // Create an initial plugin (we previously had none).
+          createPlugin(
+            name: 'plugin-a',
+            platforms: const <String, _PluginPlatformInfo>{
+              'ios': _PluginPlatformInfo(
+                pluginClass: 'Foo',
+                dartPluginClass: 'Bar',
+                sharedDarwinSource: true,
+              ),
+            },
+          );
+          await refreshPluginsList(flutterProject, iosPlatform: true, macOSPlatform: true);
+          expect(
+            cocoaPods.capturedInvocations,
+            containsAll(<Matcher>[isA<IosProject>(), isA<MacOSProject>()]),
+            reason: 'A new plugin was added, so it should cause invalidatePodInstallOutput calls.',
+          );
+          cocoaPods.capturedInvocations.clear();
+
+          // Add a new plugin.
+          createPlugin(
+            name: 'plugin-b',
+            platforms: const <String, _PluginPlatformInfo>{
+              'ios': _PluginPlatformInfo(
+                pluginClass: 'Foo',
+                dartPluginClass: 'Bar',
+                sharedDarwinSource: true,
+              ),
+            },
+          );
+          await refreshPluginsList(flutterProject, iosPlatform: true, macOSPlatform: true);
+          expect(
+            cocoaPods.capturedInvocations,
+            containsAll(<Matcher>[isA<IosProject>(), isA<MacOSProject>()]),
+            reason: 'A new plugin was added, so it should cause invalidatePodInstallOutput calls.',
+          );
+          cocoaPods.capturedInvocations.clear();
+
+          // Do not add new plugins.
+          await refreshPluginsList(flutterProject, iosPlatform: true, macOSPlatform: true);
+          expect(
+            cocoaPods.capturedInvocations,
+            isEmpty,
+            reason: 'No plugins changed, so no updates expected',
+          );
+        },
+        overrides: <Type, Generator>{
+          CocoaPods: () => cocoaPods,
+          FileSystem: () => fs,
+          ProcessManager: () => FakeProcessManager.any(),
+          SystemClock: () => systemClock,
+          FlutterVersion: () => flutterVersion,
+          Pub: FakePubWithPrimedDeps.new,
+          // TODO(matanlurey): Remove as part of https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/160257.
+          // Not necessary, you can observe this bug by calling `generateLegacyPlugins: false`,
+          // but since this flag is about to be enabled, and enabling it implicitly sets that
+          // argument to false, this is a more "honest" test.
+          FeatureFlags: enableExplicitPackageDependencies,
+        },
+      );
+
       testUsingContext(
         '.flutter-plugins-dependencies contains plugin platform info',
         () async {
@@ -3004,3 +3080,13 @@ class FakeDarwinDependencyManagement extends Fake implements DarwinDependencyMan
     setupPlatforms.add(platform);
   }
 }
+
+/// A fake of [CocoaPods] that writes calls to [invalidatePodInstallOutput] to [capturedInvocations].
+final class FakeCocoaPodsCapturesInvalidate extends Fake implements CocoaPods {
+  final List<XcodeBasedProject> capturedInvocations = <XcodeBasedProject>[];
+
+  @override
+  void invalidatePodInstallOutput(XcodeBasedProject xcodeProject) {
+    capturedInvocations.add(xcodeProject);
+  }
+}