diff --git a/dev-packages/e2e-tests/test-applications/nuxt-5/nuxt.config.ts b/dev-packages/e2e-tests/test-applications/nuxt-5/nuxt.config.ts
index 8016834d1167..78c559af3621 100644
--- a/dev-packages/e2e-tests/test-applications/nuxt-5/nuxt.config.ts
+++ b/dev-packages/e2e-tests/test-applications/nuxt-5/nuxt.config.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ export default defineNuxtConfig({
     },
   },
   nitro: {
+    // Nitro v3 only routes `defineCachedFunction`/`defineCachedHandler` through KV storage (which the SDK
+    // instruments) with the `kv` cache driver. The default `memory` driver bypasses KV storage entirely.
+    cache: { driver: 'kv' },
     experimental: {
       database: true,
     },
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/storage-legacy.server.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/storage-legacy.server.ts
index 77b6a390d0e9..ac445ad0c432 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/storage-legacy.server.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/storage-legacy.server.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ import { createStoragePlugin } from '../utils/instrumentStorage';
 /**
  * Nitro plugin that instruments storage driver calls for Nuxt v3/v4 (Nitro v2)
  */
-export default (async _nitroApp => {
-  await createStoragePlugin(useStorage, userStorageMounts as string[]);
+export default (_nitroApp => {
+  createStoragePlugin(useStorage, userStorageMounts as string[]);
 }) satisfies NitroAppPlugin;
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/storage.server.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/storage.server.ts
index f9763b51d47b..726857f037dd 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/storage.server.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/storage.server.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ import { createStoragePlugin } from '../utils/instrumentStorage';
 /**
  * Nitro plugin that instruments storage driver calls for Nuxt v5+ (Nitro v3+)
  */
-export default (async _nitroApp => {
-  await createStoragePlugin(useStorage, userStorageMounts as string[]);
+export default (_nitroApp => {
+  createStoragePlugin(useStorage, userStorageMounts as string[]);
 }) satisfies NitroAppPlugin;
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/utils/instrumentStorage.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/utils/instrumentStorage.ts
index f0dd1fb1b399..1055b4ca5876 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/utils/instrumentStorage.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/utils/instrumentStorage.ts
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ const METHOD_SPAN_OPS = {
  * The `useStorage` parameter is typed as `() => unknown` because nitropack (Nitro v2) and nitro (Nitro v3+) define `StorageValue` differently.
  * Cast to `NitroStorage` is safe since all Nitro versions expose `getMounts()` at runtime.
  */
-export async function createStoragePlugin(useStorage: () => unknown, userStorageMounts: string[]): Promise<void> {
+export function createStoragePlugin(useStorage: () => unknown, userStorageMounts: string[]): void {
   // This runs at runtime when the Nitro server starts
   const storage = useStorage() as NitroStorage;
   // Mounts are suffixed with a colon, so we need to add it to the set items