diff --git a/packages/kbn-es/package.json b/packages/kbn-es/package.json
index fedd51bbee442..116630eac946f 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-es/package.json
+++ b/packages/kbn-es/package.json
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
     "node-fetch": "^2.0.0",
     "simple-git": "^1.91.0",
     "tar-fs": "^1.16.0",
+    "tree-kill": "^1.1.0",
     "yauzl": "^2.10.0",
     "zlib": "^1.0.5"
   }
diff --git a/packages/kbn-es/src/cluster.js b/packages/kbn-es/src/cluster.js
index bd744a0e977b0..f14be3582f71a 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-es/src/cluster.js
+++ b/packages/kbn-es/src/cluster.js
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ const { installSnapshot, installSource, installArchive } = require('./install');
 const { ES_BIN } = require('./paths');
 const { log: defaultLog, parseEsLog, extractConfigFiles } = require('./utils');
 const { createCliError } = require('./errors');
+const { promisify } = require('util');
+const treeKillAsync = promisify(require('tree-kill'));
 
 exports.Cluster = class Cluster {
   constructor(log = defaultLog) {
@@ -141,11 +143,17 @@ exports.Cluster = class Cluster {
    * @returns {Promise}
    */
   async stop() {
+    if (this._stopCalled) {
+      return;
+    }
+    this._stopCalled = true;
+
     if (!this._process || !this._outcome) {
       throw new Error('ES has not been started');
     }
 
-    this._process.kill();
+    await treeKillAsync(this._process.pid);
+
     await this._outcome;
   }
 
@@ -190,6 +198,10 @@ exports.Cluster = class Cluster {
 
     this._outcome = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
       this._process.once('exit', code => {
+        if (this._stopCalled) {
+          resolve();
+          return;
+        }
         // JVM exits with 143 on SIGTERM and 130 on SIGINT, dont' treat them as errors
         if (code > 0 && !(code === 143 || code === 130)) {
           reject(createCliError(`ES exited with code ${code}`));
diff --git a/packages/kbn-es/yarn.lock b/packages/kbn-es/yarn.lock
index 011c1f888054c..b96d9512b1014 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-es/yarn.lock
+++ b/packages/kbn-es/yarn.lock
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ tar-stream@^1.1.2:
     readable-stream "^2.0.0"
     xtend "^4.0.0"
 
-tree-kill@^1.2.0:
+tree-kill@^1.1.0, tree-kill@^1.2.0:
   version "1.2.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/tree-kill/-/tree-kill-1.2.0.tgz#5846786237b4239014f05db156b643212d4c6f36"
   integrity sha512-DlX6dR0lOIRDFxI0mjL9IYg6OTncLm/Zt+JiBhE5OlFcAR8yc9S7FFXU9so0oda47frdM/JFsk7UjNt9vscKcg==