diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index e2da08e3ad..d6f91f0e3e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -209,6 +209,40 @@ jobs:
         id: push_codecov
         run: 'bash <(curl -s https://codecov.io/bash)'
 
+  Jmh_CachedDateHeaderBenchmark:
+    name: Jmh CachedDateHeaderBenchmark
+    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' }}
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        os: [ubuntu-latest]
+        scala: [2.13.12]
+        java: [temurin@8]
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+        with:
+          path: zio-http
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-java@v2
+        with:
+          distribution: temurin
+          java-version: 11
+
+      - name: Benchmark_Main
+        id: Benchmark_Main
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{secrets.ACTIONS_PAT}}
+        run: |
+          cd zio-http
+          sed -i -e '$aaddSbtPlugin("pl.project13.scala" % "sbt-jmh" % "0.4.3")' project/plugins.sbt
+          cat > Main_CachedDateHeaderBenchmark.txt
+          sbt -no-colors -v "zioHttpBenchmarks/jmh:run -i 3 -wi 3 -f1 -t1 CachedDateHeaderBenchmark" | grep -e "thrpt" -e "avgt" >> ../Main_CachedDateHeaderBenchmark.txt
+
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+        with:
+          name: Jmh_Main_CachedDateHeaderBenchmark
+          path: Main_CachedDateHeaderBenchmark.txt
+
   Jmh_CookieDecodeBenchmark:
     name: Jmh CookieDecodeBenchmark
     if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' }}
@@ -551,7 +585,7 @@ jobs:
 
   Jmh_cache:
     name: Cache Jmh benchmarks
-    needs: [Jmh_CookieDecodeBenchmark, Jmh_EndpointBenchmark, Jmh_HttpCollectEval, Jmh_HttpCombineEval, Jmh_HttpNestedFlatMapEval, Jmh_HttpRouteTextPerf, Jmh_ProbeContentTypeBenchmark, Jmh_SchemeDecodeBenchmark, Jmh_ServerInboundHandlerBenchmark, Jmh_UtilBenchmark]
+    needs: [Jmh_CachedDateHeaderBenchmark, Jmh_CookieDecodeBenchmark, Jmh_EndpointBenchmark, Jmh_HttpCollectEval, Jmh_HttpCombineEval, Jmh_HttpNestedFlatMapEval, Jmh_HttpRouteTextPerf, Jmh_ProbeContentTypeBenchmark, Jmh_SchemeDecodeBenchmark, Jmh_ServerInboundHandlerBenchmark, Jmh_UtilBenchmark]
     if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' }}
     strategy:
       matrix:
@@ -560,6 +594,13 @@ jobs:
         java: [temurin@8]
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     steps:
+      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
+        with:
+          name: Jmh_Main_CachedDateHeaderBenchmark
+
+      - name: Format_Main_CachedDateHeaderBenchmark
+        run: cat Main_CachedDateHeaderBenchmark.txt >> Main_benchmarks.txt
+
       - uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
         with:
           name: Jmh_Main_CookieDecodeBenchmark
diff --git a/zio-http-benchmarks/src/main/scala/zhttp.benchmarks/CachedDateHeaderBenchmark.scala b/zio-http-benchmarks/src/main/scala/zhttp.benchmarks/CachedDateHeaderBenchmark.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..152ff6c88c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zio-http-benchmarks/src/main/scala/zhttp.benchmarks/CachedDateHeaderBenchmark.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+package zio.http.netty
+
+import java.time.ZonedDateTime
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
+
+import zio.http.internal.DateEncoding
+
+import org.openjdk.jmh.annotations._
+
+@State(Scope.Benchmark)
+@BenchmarkMode(Array(Mode.AverageTime))
+@OutputTimeUnit(TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS)
+@Threads(16)
+@Fork(1)
+@Warmup(iterations = 3, time = 1)
+@Measurement(iterations = 5, time = 1)
+class CachedDateHeaderBenchmark {
+  private val dateHeaderCache = new CachedDateHeader()
+
+  @Benchmark
+  def benchmarkCached() =
+    dateHeaderCache.get()
+
+  @Benchmark
+  def benchmarkFresh() =
+    DateEncoding.default.encodeDate(ZonedDateTime.now())
+}
diff --git a/zio-http/jvm/src/main/scala/zio/http/netty/CachedDateHeader.scala b/zio-http/jvm/src/main/scala/zio/http/netty/CachedDateHeader.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..63171b2397
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zio-http/jvm/src/main/scala/zio/http/netty/CachedDateHeader.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package zio.http.netty
+
+import java.time.{Clock, LocalDateTime, ZoneOffset}
+import java.util.concurrent.locks.LockSupport
+
+import zio.http.internal.DateEncoding
+
+private object CachedDateHeader {
+  lazy val default: CachedDateHeader = new CachedDateHeader()
+}
+
+final private class CachedDateHeader(
+  clock: Clock = Clock.tickSeconds(ZoneOffset.UTC),
+  dateEncoding: DateEncoding = DateEncoding.default,
+) {
+  private var _headerValue = renderDateHeaderValue(clock.millis())
+
+  {
+    val t = new Ticker
+    t.setDaemon(true)
+    t.setName(s"zio.http.netty.DateHeaderEncoder.Scheduler")
+    t.setPriority(Thread.MAX_PRIORITY)
+    t.start()
+  }
+
+  def get(): String = _headerValue
+
+  private final class Ticker extends Thread {
+    override def run(): Unit = {
+      val clock0        = clock
+      var currentMillis = clock0.millis()
+      while (!isInterrupted) {
+        LockSupport.parkUntil(currentMillis + 1000)
+        currentMillis = clock0.millis()
+        updateHeaderValue(currentMillis)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  private def renderDateHeaderValue(epochMilli: Long): String = {
+    val dt = LocalDateTime
+      .ofEpochSecond(epochMilli / 1000L, 0, ZoneOffset.UTC)
+      .atZone(ZoneOffset.UTC)
+
+    dateEncoding.encodeDate(dt)
+  }
+
+  private def updateHeaderValue(epochMilli: Long): Unit =
+    _headerValue = renderDateHeaderValue(epochMilli)
+
+}
diff --git a/zio-http/jvm/src/main/scala/zio/http/netty/NettyResponseEncoder.scala b/zio-http/jvm/src/main/scala/zio/http/netty/NettyResponseEncoder.scala
index 6da366db16..5800600911 100644
--- a/zio-http/jvm/src/main/scala/zio/http/netty/NettyResponseEncoder.scala
+++ b/zio-http/jvm/src/main/scala/zio/http/netty/NettyResponseEncoder.scala
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext
 import io.netty.handler.codec.http._
 
 private[zio] object NettyResponseEncoder {
+  private val dateHeaderCache = CachedDateHeader.default
 
   def encode(
     ctx: ChannelHandlerContext,
@@ -38,8 +39,10 @@ private[zio] object NettyResponseEncoder {
       val bytes = runtime.runtime(ctx).unsafe.run(body.asArray).getOrThrow()
       fastEncode(response, bytes)
     } else {
+      val status   = response.status
       val jHeaders = Conversions.headersToNetty(response.headers)
-      val jStatus  = Conversions.statusToNetty(response.status)
+      val jStatus  = Conversions.statusToNetty(status)
+      maybeAddDateHeader(jHeaders, status)
 
       response.body.knownContentLength match {
         case Some(contentLength) if !jHeaders.contains(HttpHeaderNames.CONTENT_LENGTH) =>
@@ -63,16 +66,27 @@ private[zio] object NettyResponseEncoder {
   private def doEncode(response: Response, bytes: Array[Byte]): FullHttpResponse = {
     val jHeaders         = Conversions.headersToNetty(response.headers)
     val hasContentLength = jHeaders.contains(HttpHeaderNames.CONTENT_LENGTH)
+    val status           = response.status
+    maybeAddDateHeader(jHeaders, status)
 
     val jStatus = Conversions.statusToNetty(response.status)
 
-    val jContent  = Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(bytes)
-    val jResponse = new DefaultFullHttpResponse(HttpVersion.HTTP_1_1, jStatus, jContent, false)
+    val jContent = Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(bytes)
 
     if (!hasContentLength) jHeaders.set(HttpHeaderNames.CONTENT_LENGTH, jContent.readableBytes())
-    jResponse.headers().add(jHeaders)
-    jResponse
 
+    new DefaultFullHttpResponse(HttpVersion.HTTP_1_1, jStatus, jContent, jHeaders, EmptyHttpHeaders.INSTANCE)
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * We don't need to add the Date header in the following case:
+   *   - Status code is 1xx
+   *   - Status code is 5xx
+   *   - User already provided it
+   */
+  private def maybeAddDateHeader(headers: HttpHeaders, status: Status): Unit = {
+    if (status.isInformational || status.isServerError || headers.contains(HttpHeaderNames.DATE)) ()
+    else headers.set(HttpHeaderNames.DATE, dateHeaderCache.get())
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/zio-http/jvm/src/test/scala/zio/http/netty/CachedDateHeaderSpec.scala b/zio-http/jvm/src/test/scala/zio/http/netty/CachedDateHeaderSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a624c4c806
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zio-http/jvm/src/test/scala/zio/http/netty/CachedDateHeaderSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+package zio.http.netty
+
+import java.time.ZonedDateTime
+
+import zio._
+import zio.test.{Spec, TestAspect, TestEnvironment, assertCompletes}
+
+import zio.http.ZIOHttpSpec
+import zio.http.internal.DateEncoding
+
+object CachedDateHeaderSpec extends ZIOHttpSpec {
+  private val dateHeaderCache = CachedDateHeader.default
+
+  override def spec: Spec[TestEnvironment with Scope, Any] =
+    suite("CachedDateHeader")(
+      test("yields the same date header value as DateEncoding") {
+        val f = ZIO.suspendSucceed {
+          val uncached = DateEncoding.default.encodeDate(ZonedDateTime.now())
+          val cached   = dateHeaderCache.get()
+
+          ZIO
+            .fail(
+              new Exception(
+                s"Mismatch in cached and uncached date header value:\n\tuncached: $uncached\n\tcached: $cached",
+              ),
+            )
+            .unless(uncached == cached)
+        }
+          .delay(5.milli)
+          .retryN(1)
+
+        ZIO.foreachDiscard((1 to 300).toList)(_ => f) *> assertCompletes
+      }
+        @@ TestAspect.withLiveClock,
+    )
+}