diff --git a/packages/gatsby-plugin-mdx/utils/gen-mdx.js b/packages/gatsby-plugin-mdx/utils/gen-mdx.js
index fc6fbd4b3ef3d..60e387c9c0bf3 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby-plugin-mdx/utils/gen-mdx.js
+++ b/packages/gatsby-plugin-mdx/utils/gen-mdx.js
@@ -116,6 +116,10 @@ export const _frontmatter = ${JSON.stringify(data)}`
       reporter,
       cache,
       pathPrefix,
+      compiler: {
+        parseString: compiler.parse.bind(compiler),
+        generateHTML: ast => mdx(ast, options),
+      },
       ...helpers,
     }
   )
diff --git a/packages/gatsby-remark-images/src/index.js b/packages/gatsby-remark-images/src/index.js
index e0895a1ea3927..427c499a28c96 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby-remark-images/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/gatsby-remark-images/src/index.js
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ module.exports = (
     }
   }
 
-  const getImageCaption = (node, overWrites) => {
+  const getImageCaption = async (node, overWrites) => {
     const getCaptionString = () => {
       const captionOptions = Array.isArray(options.showCaptions)
         ? options.showCaptions
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ module.exports = (
       return _.escape(captionString)
     }
 
-    return compiler.generateHTML(compiler.parseString(captionString))
+    return compiler.generateHTML(await compiler.parseString(captionString))
   }
 
   // Takes a node and generates the needed images and then returns
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ module.exports = (
 
     // Construct new image node w/ aspect ratio placeholder
     const imageCaption =
-      options.showCaptions && getImageCaption(node, overWrites)
+      options.showCaptions && (await getImageCaption(node, overWrites))
 
     let removeBgImage = false
     if (options.disableBgImageOnAlpha) {
diff --git a/packages/gatsby-transformer-remark/src/extend-node-type.js b/packages/gatsby-transformer-remark/src/extend-node-type.js
index 3d6cdeb3b92c1..b7653e9d80b2c 100644
--- a/packages/gatsby-transformer-remark/src/extend-node-type.js
+++ b/packages/gatsby-transformer-remark/src/extend-node-type.js
@@ -165,35 +165,21 @@ module.exports = (
       }
     }
 
-    async function getMarkdownAST(markdownNode) {
-      if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== `production` || !fileNodes) {
-        fileNodes = getNodesByType(`File`)
+    // Parse a markdown string and its AST representation,
+    // applying the remark plugins if necesserary
+    async function parseString(string, markdownNode) {
+      // compiler to inject in the remark plugins
+      // so that they can use our parser/generator
+      // with all the options and plugins from the user
+      const compiler = {
+        parseString: string => parseString(string, markdownNode),
+        generateHTML: ast =>
+          hastToHTML(markdownASTToHTMLAst(ast), {
+            allowDangerousHTML: true,
+          }),
       }
-      // Use Bluebird's Promise function "each" to run remark plugins serially.
-      await Promise.each(pluginOptions.plugins, plugin => {
-        const requiredPlugin = require(plugin.resolve)
-        if (_.isFunction(requiredPlugin.mutateSource)) {
-          return requiredPlugin.mutateSource(
-            {
-              markdownNode,
-              files: fileNodes,
-              getNode,
-              reporter,
-              cache: getCache(plugin.name),
-              getCache,
-              compiler: {
-                parseString: remark.parse.bind(remark),
-                generateHTML: getHTML,
-              },
-              ...rest,
-            },
-            plugin.pluginOptions
-          )
-        } else {
-          return Promise.resolve()
-        }
-      })
-      const markdownAST = remark.parse(markdownNode.internal.content)
+
+      const markdownAST = remark.parse(string)
 
       if (basePath) {
         // Ensure relative links include `pathPrefix`
@@ -232,10 +218,7 @@ module.exports = (
               reporter,
               cache: getCache(plugin.name),
               getCache,
-              compiler: {
-                parseString: remark.parse.bind(remark),
-                generateHTML: getHTML,
-              },
+              compiler,
               ...rest,
             },
             plugin.pluginOptions
@@ -248,6 +231,38 @@ module.exports = (
       return markdownAST
     }
 
+    async function getMarkdownAST(markdownNode) {
+      if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== `production` || !fileNodes) {
+        fileNodes = getNodesByType(`File`)
+      }
+
+      // Execute the remark plugins that can mutate the node
+      // before parsing its content
+      //
+      // Use Bluebird's Promise function "each" to run remark plugins serially.
+      await Promise.each(pluginOptions.plugins, plugin => {
+        const requiredPlugin = require(plugin.resolve)
+        if (_.isFunction(requiredPlugin.mutateSource)) {
+          return requiredPlugin.mutateSource(
+            {
+              markdownNode,
+              files: fileNodes,
+              getNode,
+              reporter,
+              cache: getCache(plugin.name),
+              getCache,
+              ...rest,
+            },
+            plugin.pluginOptions
+          )
+        } else {
+          return Promise.resolve()
+        }
+      })
+
+      return parseString(markdownNode.internal.content, markdownNode)
+    }
+
     async function getHeadings(markdownNode) {
       const cachedHeadings = await cache.get(headingsCacheKey(markdownNode))
       if (cachedHeadings) {
@@ -323,16 +338,20 @@ module.exports = (
       }
     }
 
+    async function markdownASTToHTMLAst(ast) {
+      return toHAST(ast, {
+        allowDangerousHTML: true,
+        handlers: { code: codeHandler },
+      })
+    }
+
     async function getHTMLAst(markdownNode) {
       const cachedAst = await cache.get(htmlAstCacheKey(markdownNode))
       if (cachedAst) {
         return cachedAst
       } else {
         const ast = await getAST(markdownNode)
-        const htmlAst = toHAST(ast, {
-          allowDangerousHTML: true,
-          handlers: { code: codeHandler },
-        })
+        const htmlAst = markdownASTToHTMLAst(ast)
 
         // Save new HTML AST to cache and return
         cache.set(htmlAstCacheKey(markdownNode), htmlAst)
@@ -341,9 +360,7 @@ module.exports = (
     }
 
     async function getHTML(markdownNode) {
-      const shouldCache = markdownNode && markdownNode.internal
-      const cachedHTML =
-        shouldCache && (await cache.get(htmlCacheKey(markdownNode)))
+      const cachedHTML = await cache.get(htmlCacheKey(markdownNode))
       if (cachedHTML) {
         return cachedHTML
       } else {
@@ -353,10 +370,8 @@ module.exports = (
           allowDangerousHTML: true,
         })
 
-        if (shouldCache) {
-          // Save new HTML to cache
-          cache.set(htmlCacheKey(markdownNode), html)
-        }
+        // Save new HTML to cache
+        cache.set(htmlCacheKey(markdownNode), html)
 
         return html
       }