diff --git a/board/ti/am335x/Kconfig b/board/ti/am335x/Kconfig
index c3b61af2631a4dba9aaa4b640e5896123a2f3c54..0e5149c69c63ef0c36712d7a384423505d4b80a2 100644
--- a/board/ti/am335x/Kconfig
+++ b/board/ti/am335x/Kconfig
@@ -20,4 +20,13 @@ config SYS_CONFIG_NAME
 	string
 	default "am335x_evm"
 
+config CONS_INDEX
+	int "UART used for console"
+	default 1
+	help
+	  The AM335x SoC has a total of 6 UARTs (UART0 to UART5 as referenced
+	  in documentation, etc) available to it.  Depending on your specific
+	  board you may want something other than UART0 as for example the IDK
+	  uses UART3 so enter 4 here.
+
 endif
diff --git a/board/ti/am335x/board.c b/board/ti/am335x/board.c
index d81eec90b44b0a9d4802a0c3bb29fe3311d21afc..0739e6021a21e71d7d0f5c840b793ce7fdf98fae 100644
--- a/board/ti/am335x/board.c
+++ b/board/ti/am335x/board.c
@@ -383,24 +383,19 @@ const struct dpll_params *get_dpll_ddr_params(void)
 
 void set_uart_mux_conf(void)
 {
-#ifdef CONFIG_SERIAL1
+#if CONFIG_CONS_INDEX == 1
 	enable_uart0_pin_mux();
-#endif /* CONFIG_SERIAL1 */
-#ifdef CONFIG_SERIAL2
+#elif CONFIG_CONS_INDEX == 2
 	enable_uart1_pin_mux();
-#endif /* CONFIG_SERIAL2 */
-#ifdef CONFIG_SERIAL3
+#elif CONFIG_CONS_INDEX == 3
 	enable_uart2_pin_mux();
-#endif /* CONFIG_SERIAL3 */
-#ifdef CONFIG_SERIAL4
+#elif CONFIG_CONS_INDEX == 4
 	enable_uart3_pin_mux();
-#endif /* CONFIG_SERIAL4 */
-#ifdef CONFIG_SERIAL5
+#elif CONFIG_CONS_INDEX == 5
 	enable_uart4_pin_mux();
-#endif /* CONFIG_SERIAL5 */
-#ifdef CONFIG_SERIAL6
+#elif CONFIG_CONS_INDEX == 6
 	enable_uart5_pin_mux();
-#endif /* CONFIG_SERIAL6 */
+#endif
 }
 
 void set_mux_conf_regs(void)
diff --git a/board/ti/am335x/mux.c b/board/ti/am335x/mux.c
index 2a18ccbedefc3e731c575eafc317eb0fe487480d..f4bb9f890b5bf4bdb7cca8ecd67dcfadb0cd650a 100644
--- a/board/ti/am335x/mux.c
+++ b/board/ti/am335x/mux.c
@@ -345,12 +345,7 @@ void enable_board_pin_mux(struct am335x_baseboard_id *header)
 			configure_module_pin_mux(spi0_pin_mux);
 		}
 	} else if (board_is_idk(header)) {
-		/*
-		 * Industrial Motor Control (IDK)
-		 * note: IDK console is on UART3 by default.
-		 *       So u-boot mus be build with CONFIG_SERIAL4 and
-		 *       CONFIG_CONS_INDEX=4
-		 */
+		/* Industrial Motor Control (IDK) */
 		configure_module_pin_mux(mii1_pin_mux);
 		configure_module_pin_mux(mmc0_no_cd_pin_mux);
 	} else if (board_is_evm_sk(header)) {
diff --git a/configs/am335x_evm_defconfig b/configs/am335x_evm_defconfig
index 7710dc064e89c0551f6efe15b8d1a2e1ad5ed18b..2e5aeaa4dd4840732886b1a6e1ae5b0a38b816e0 100644
--- a/configs/am335x_evm_defconfig
+++ b/configs/am335x_evm_defconfig
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 CONFIG_SPL=y
-CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SERIAL1,CONS_INDEX=1,NAND"
+CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="NAND"
+CONFIG_CONS_INDEX=1
 +S:CONFIG_ARM=y
 +S:CONFIG_TARGET_AM335X_EVM=y
diff --git a/configs/am335x_evm_nor_defconfig b/configs/am335x_evm_nor_defconfig
index fecec5e4ebf8892ac89ca3c3fcbde98c3daf7061..41f31cc02e90ad9f59ffbe28875e1cd7c97c76b5 100644
--- a/configs/am335x_evm_nor_defconfig
+++ b/configs/am335x_evm_nor_defconfig
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 CONFIG_SPL=y
-CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SERIAL1,CONS_INDEX=1,NAND,NOR"
+CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="NAND,NOR"
+CONFIG_CONS_INDEX=1
 +S:CONFIG_ARM=y
 +S:CONFIG_TARGET_AM335X_EVM=y
diff --git a/configs/am335x_evm_norboot_defconfig b/configs/am335x_evm_norboot_defconfig
index 6005c22ddb2287be7f93bb746f9fd1c8faaf20ee..7dbfa277e0a289ed04faf729ae6d2fea059268a4 100644
--- a/configs/am335x_evm_norboot_defconfig
+++ b/configs/am335x_evm_norboot_defconfig
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
-CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SERIAL1,CONS_INDEX=1,NOR,NOR_BOOT"
+CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="NOR,NOR_BOOT"
+CONFIG_CONS_INDEX=1
 CONFIG_ARM=y
 CONFIG_TARGET_AM335X_EVM=y
diff --git a/configs/am335x_evm_spiboot_defconfig b/configs/am335x_evm_spiboot_defconfig
index 389d1d89bf27982a89cd837543cc72c164d5b965..a6188ea72666171f7012f9c737f982dc2d34cbc9 100644
--- a/configs/am335x_evm_spiboot_defconfig
+++ b/configs/am335x_evm_spiboot_defconfig
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 CONFIG_SPL=y
-CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SERIAL1,CONS_INDEX=1,SPI_BOOT"
+CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SPI_BOOT"
+CONFIG_CONS_INDEX=1
 +S:CONFIG_ARM=y
 +S:CONFIG_TARGET_AM335X_EVM=y
diff --git a/configs/am335x_evm_uart1_defconfig b/configs/am335x_evm_uart1_defconfig
deleted file mode 100644
index 14e8879eb2c933aab313334638a6d0b43ae346fd..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/configs/am335x_evm_uart1_defconfig
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-CONFIG_SPL=y
-CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SERIAL2,CONS_INDEX=2,NAND"
-+S:CONFIG_ARM=y
-+S:CONFIG_TARGET_AM335X_EVM=y
diff --git a/configs/am335x_evm_uart2_defconfig b/configs/am335x_evm_uart2_defconfig
deleted file mode 100644
index 706ced911903bd7a6abb5375a26bed898b5ff42f..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/configs/am335x_evm_uart2_defconfig
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-CONFIG_SPL=y
-CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SERIAL3,CONS_INDEX=3,NAND"
-+S:CONFIG_ARM=y
-+S:CONFIG_TARGET_AM335X_EVM=y
diff --git a/configs/am335x_evm_uart3_defconfig b/configs/am335x_evm_uart3_defconfig
deleted file mode 100644
index 47068680229ce76b33e0159647097dbda60ced93..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/configs/am335x_evm_uart3_defconfig
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-CONFIG_SPL=y
-CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SERIAL4,CONS_INDEX=4,NAND"
-+S:CONFIG_ARM=y
-+S:CONFIG_TARGET_AM335X_EVM=y
diff --git a/configs/am335x_evm_uart4_defconfig b/configs/am335x_evm_uart4_defconfig
deleted file mode 100644
index 8ab7769ed69ba53b8322b154d908ccd343d4f206..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/configs/am335x_evm_uart4_defconfig
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-CONFIG_SPL=y
-CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SERIAL5,CONS_INDEX=5,NAND"
-+S:CONFIG_ARM=y
-+S:CONFIG_TARGET_AM335X_EVM=y
diff --git a/configs/am335x_evm_uart5_defconfig b/configs/am335x_evm_uart5_defconfig
deleted file mode 100644
index ea3b761d4604c3945f6de00f27444aaaf50f7f98..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/configs/am335x_evm_uart5_defconfig
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-CONFIG_SPL=y
-CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SERIAL6,CONS_INDEX=6,NAND"
-+S:CONFIG_ARM=y
-+S:CONFIG_TARGET_AM335X_EVM=y
diff --git a/configs/am335x_evm_usbspl_defconfig b/configs/am335x_evm_usbspl_defconfig
index b6b30c6228e3eb4a8675dc68da3de2721d9f3db3..352c1fb5963a67caa805bc478c275f3b8c00fc35 100644
--- a/configs/am335x_evm_usbspl_defconfig
+++ b/configs/am335x_evm_usbspl_defconfig
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 CONFIG_SPL=y
-CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="SERIAL1,CONS_INDEX=1,NAND,SPL_USBETH_SUPPORT"
+CONFIG_SYS_EXTRA_OPTIONS="NAND,SPL_USBETH_SUPPORT"
+CONFIG_CONS_INDEX=1
 +S:CONFIG_ARM=y
 +S:CONFIG_TARGET_AM335X_EVM=y