diff --git a/tools/install/BUILD.bazel b/tools/install/BUILD.bazel
index 913ec149ddba..f5285d7b4ee7 100644
--- a/tools/install/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/tools/install/BUILD.bazel
@@ -26,10 +26,7 @@ drake_py_library(
     name = "install_test_helper",
     testonly = 1,
     srcs = ["install_test_helper.py"],
-    data = [
-        "//:install",
-        "@python//:venv_bin",
-    ],
+    data = ["//:install"],
     imports = ["."],
     deps = [
         "@rules_python//python/runfiles",
diff --git a/tools/install/install_test.py b/tools/install/install_test.py
index 15743c8df4f1..684a335b71f0 100644
--- a/tools/install/install_test.py
+++ b/tools/install/install_test.py
@@ -29,14 +29,8 @@ def test_basic_paths(self):
         self.assertSetEqual(set(['bin', 'include', 'lib', 'share']), content)
 
     def _run_one_command(self, test_command):
-        # On macOS, we must run the install tests against venv's interpreter,
-        # so that necessary libraries are available. On Ubuntu, the libraries
-        # are installed system-wide (without a venv).
-        if sys.platform == "darwin":
-            manifest = runfiles.Create()
-            python = manifest.Rlocation("python/bin/python3")
-        else:
-            python = install_test_helper.get_python_executable()
+        assert test_command.endswith(".py")
+        python = install_test_helper.get_python_executable()
 
         # Our launched processes should be independent, not inherit their
         # runfiles from the install_test.py runner.
@@ -47,7 +41,6 @@ def _run_one_command(self, test_command):
 
         # Execute the test_command.
         print("+ {}".format(test_command), file=sys.stderr)
-        assert test_command.endswith(".py")
         subprocess.check_call(
             [python, os.path.join(os.getcwd(), test_command)],
             env=env)
diff --git a/tools/jupyter/BUILD.bazel b/tools/jupyter/BUILD.bazel
index 2b4d42782c82..7c9f93e6ca1a 100644
--- a/tools/jupyter/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/tools/jupyter/BUILD.bazel
@@ -31,11 +31,7 @@ drake_jupyter_py_binary(
 )
 
 drake_py_unittest(
-    name = "jupyter_notebook_test",
-    data = ["@python//:venv_bin"],
-    deps = [
-        "@rules_python//python/runfiles",
-    ],
+    name = "jupyter_prereqs_test",
 )
 
 # Add example failing notebook.
diff --git a/tools/jupyter/test/jupyter_notebook_test.py b/tools/jupyter/test/jupyter_notebook_test.py
deleted file mode 100644
index d02ca274aa8f..000000000000
--- a/tools/jupyter/test/jupyter_notebook_test.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-import subprocess
-import sys
-import unittest
-
-from python import runfiles
-
-
-class TestJupyterNotebook(unittest.TestCase):
-    def test_help(self):
-        """Ensures that `jupyter notebook` is installed (#12042)."""
-        manifest = runfiles.Create()
-        if sys.platform == "darwin":
-            jupyter = manifest.Rlocation("python/bin/jupyter")
-        else:
-            jupyter = "jupyter"
-
-        status = subprocess.call(args=[jupyter, "notebook", "--help"])
-        self.assertEqual(status, 0)
diff --git a/tools/jupyter/test/jupyter_prereqs_test.py b/tools/jupyter/test/jupyter_prereqs_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c72fb37c2fcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/jupyter/test/jupyter_prereqs_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import unittest
+
+from jupyter_core.command import list_subcommands
+
+
+class TestJupyterPrereqs(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Sanity checks that our install_prereqs was sufficient."""
+
+    def test_notebook(self):
+        """Ensures that `jupyter notebook` is installed (#12042). That
+        subcommand is required by _jupyter_bazel_notebook_main when running
+        interactively (i.e., when in non-test mode).
+        """
+        self.assertIn("notebook", list_subcommands())
diff --git a/tools/workspace/python/package.BUILD.bazel b/tools/workspace/python/package.BUILD.bazel
index ef242811b8dc..568c51e11866 100644
--- a/tools/workspace/python/package.BUILD.bazel
+++ b/tools/workspace/python/package.BUILD.bazel
@@ -44,12 +44,3 @@ cc_library(
 )
 
 exports_files(["requirements.txt"])
-
-filegroup(
-    name = "venv_bin",
-    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
-    data = [
-        "bin",
-        "requirements.txt",
-    ],
-)
diff --git a/tools/workspace/python/repository.bzl b/tools/workspace/python/repository.bzl
index 4c7bbb51a9aa..34e4ee067a9f 100644
--- a/tools/workspace/python/repository.bzl
+++ b/tools/workspace/python/repository.bzl
@@ -13,8 +13,7 @@ dynamic libraries to be used as Python modules.
 interpreter as a library into an executable with a C++ main() function.
 
 For part (b) the environment is used in all python rules and tests by default,
-but if a test needs to shell out to a venv binary, the `@python//:venv_bin`
-can be used to put the binaries' path into runfiles.
+because the python toolchain's interpreter is the venv python3 binary.
 
 If the {macos,linux}_interpreter_path being used only mentions the python major
 version (i.e., it is "/path/to/python3" not "/path/to/python3.##") and if the