diff --git a/src/material/core/theming/_palette.scss b/src/material/core/theming/_palette.scss
index 10fa42bf4553..e2b5faada05c 100644
--- a/src/material/core/theming/_palette.scss
+++ b/src/material/core/theming/_palette.scss
@@ -705,7 +705,7 @@ $dark-theme-background-palette: (
   selected-disabled-button: map.get($grey-palette, 800),
   disabled-button-toggle: black,
   unselected-chip: map.get($grey-palette, 700),
-  disabled-list-option: black,
+  disabled-list-option: rgba(white, 0.12),
   tooltip: map.get($grey-palette, 700),
 );
 
diff --git a/src/material/list/_list-theme.scss b/src/material/list/_list-theme.scss
index 6cbe89e7fe5a..c3721145362b 100644
--- a/src/material/list/_list-theme.scss
+++ b/src/material/list/_list-theme.scss
@@ -22,10 +22,11 @@
     .mat-subheader {
       color: theming.get-color-from-palette($foreground, secondary-text);
     }
-  }
 
-  .mat-list-item-disabled {
-    background-color: theming.get-color-from-palette($background, disabled-list-option);
+    .mat-list-item-disabled {
+      background-color: theming.get-color-from-palette($background, disabled-list-option);
+      color: theming.get-color-from-palette($foreground, disabled-text);
+    }
   }
 
   .mat-list-option,