diff --git a/pytato/target/loopy/codegen.py b/pytato/target/loopy/codegen.py
index 8e3a162efde37b8509e92f7be04c92eca707ad98..e9e7dc2918c0398bc577d5373e94864f131e205f 100644
--- a/pytato/target/loopy/codegen.py
+++ b/pytato/target/loopy/codegen.py
@@ -841,7 +841,8 @@ def generate_loopy(result: Union[Array, DictOfNamedArrays, Dict[str, Array]],
 
     If *result* is a :class:`dict` or a :class:`pytato.DictOfNamedArrays` and
     *options* is not supplied, then the Loopy option
-    :attr:`~loopy.Options.return_dict` will be set to *True*.
+    :attr:`~loopy.Options.return_dict` will be set to *True*. If it is supplied,
+    :attr:`~loopy.Options.return_dict` must already be set to *True*.
     """
 
     result_is_dict = isinstance(result, (dict, DictOfNamedArrays))
@@ -858,8 +859,18 @@ def generate_loopy(result: Union[Array, DictOfNamedArrays, Dict[str, Array]],
     outputs = preproc_result.outputs
     compute_order = preproc_result.compute_order
 
-    if options is None and result_is_dict:
-        options = lp.Options(return_dict=True)
+    if options is None:
+        options = lp.Options(return_dict=result_is_dict)
+    elif isinstance(options, dict):
+        from warnings import warn
+        warn("Passing a dict for options is deprecated and will stop working in "
+                "2022. Pass an actual loopy.Options object instead.",
+                DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2)
+        options = lp.Options(**options)
+
+    if options.return_dict != result_is_dict:
+        raise ValueError("options.result_is_dict is expected to match "
+                "whether the returned value is a dictionary")
 
     state = get_initial_codegen_state(target, options)
 
diff --git a/test/test_codegen.py b/test/test_codegen.py
index 202958adbd3d86c814817630e049db21b97b1e91..46c4efbe6c08228088524af122bc7aba6df7c82a 100755
--- a/test/test_codegen.py
+++ b/test/test_codegen.py
@@ -135,13 +135,6 @@ def test_codegen_with_DictOfNamedArrays(ctx_factory):  # noqa
 
     result = pt.DictOfNamedArrays(dict(x_out=x, y_out=y))
 
-    # Without return_dict.
-    prog = pt.generate_loopy(result, cl_device=queue.device,
-            options=lp.Options(return_dict=False))
-    _, (x_out, y_out) = prog(queue, x=x_in, y=y_in)
-    assert (x_out == x_in).all()
-    assert (y_out == y_in).all()
-
     # With return_dict.
     prog = pt.generate_loopy(result, cl_device=queue.device)