diff --git a/piccolo/utils/pydantic.py b/piccolo/utils/pydantic.py
index 794406f17..57cb7de47 100644
--- a/piccolo/utils/pydantic.py
+++ b/piccolo/utils/pydantic.py
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ def create_pydantic_model(
 
         params: dict[str, Any] = {}
         if is_optional:
-            params["default"] = None
+            params["default"] = column.get_default_value()
 
         if column._meta.db_column_name != column._meta.name:
             params["alias"] = column._meta.db_column_name
diff --git a/tests/apps/fixtures/commands/test_dump_load.py b/tests/apps/fixtures/commands/test_dump_load.py
index 728f2f5c0..89ddc3dd1 100644
--- a/tests/apps/fixtures/commands/test_dump_load.py
+++ b/tests/apps/fixtures/commands/test_dump_load.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import datetime
 import decimal
+import json
 import os
 import tempfile
 import uuid
@@ -10,6 +11,7 @@
     dump_to_json_string,
 )
 from piccolo.apps.fixtures.commands.load import load, load_json_string
+from piccolo.apps.fixtures.commands.shared import create_pydantic_fixture_model
 from piccolo.utils.sync import run_sync
 from tests.base import engines_only
 from tests.example_apps.mega.tables import MegaTable, SmallTable
@@ -124,6 +126,7 @@ def _run_comparison(self, table_class_names: list[str]):
                 "json_col": '{"a":1}',
                 "jsonb_col": '{"a":1}',
                 "numeric_col": decimal.Decimal("1.1"),
+                "null_with_default_col": "Default value",
                 "real_col": 1.1,
                 "double_precision_col": 1.344,
                 "smallint_col": 1,
@@ -226,6 +229,7 @@ def test_dump_load_cockroach(self):
                 "json_col": '{"a":1}',
                 "jsonb_col": '{"a":1}',
                 "numeric_col": decimal.Decimal("1.1"),
+                "null_with_default_col": "Default value",
                 "real_col": 1.1,
                 "double_precision_col": 1.344,
                 "smallint_col": 1,
@@ -242,6 +246,85 @@ def test_dump_load_cockroach(self):
             },
         )
 
+    def test_load_with_defaults(self):
+        """
+        Make sure we can load JSON fixtures into the database, without
+        providing columns with default values.
+        """
+        # We need to clear the data out now, otherwise when loading the data
+        # back in, there will be constraint errors over clashing primary
+        # keys.
+        MegaTable.delete(force=True).run_sync()
+
+        pydantic_model = create_pydantic_fixture_model(
+            fixture_configs=[
+                FixtureConfig(
+                    app_name="mega",
+                    table_class_names=["SmallTable", "MegaTable"],
+                )
+            ]
+        )
+
+        run_sync(
+            load_json_string(
+                pydantic_model(
+                    **{
+                        "mega": {
+                            "SmallTable": [{"id": 1, "varchar_col": "Test"}],
+                            "MegaTable": [
+                                {
+                                    "id": 1,
+                                    "bigint_col": 1,
+                                    "boolean_col": True,
+                                    "bytea_col": "hello".encode("utf8"),
+                                    "date_col": datetime.date(
+                                        year=2021, month=1, day=1
+                                    ),
+                                    "foreignkey_col": 1,
+                                    "integer_col": 1,
+                                    "interval_col": datetime.timedelta(
+                                        seconds=10
+                                    ),
+                                    "json_col": json.dumps({"a": 1}),
+                                    "jsonb_col": json.dumps({"a": 1}).encode(
+                                        "utf8"
+                                    ),
+                                    "numeric_col": decimal.Decimal("1.1"),
+                                    "real_col": 1.1,
+                                    "double_precision_col": 1.344,
+                                    "smallint_col": 1,
+                                    "text_col": "hello",
+                                    "timestamp_col": datetime.datetime(
+                                        year=2021, month=1, day=1
+                                    ),
+                                    "timestamptz_col": datetime.datetime(
+                                        year=2021,
+                                        month=1,
+                                        day=1,
+                                        tzinfo=datetime.timezone.utc,
+                                    ),
+                                    "uuid_col": uuid.UUID(
+                                        "12783854-c012-4c15-8183-8eecb46f2c4e"
+                                    ),
+                                    "varchar_col": "hello",
+                                    "unique_col": "hello",
+                                    "null_col": None,
+                                    "not_null_col": "hello",
+                                }
+                            ],
+                        }
+                    },
+                ).model_dump_json(indent=4)
+            )
+        )
+
+        mega_table_data = MegaTable.select().run_sync()
+
+        self.assertTrue(len(mega_table_data) == 1)
+        self.assertTrue(
+            mega_table_data[0]["null_with_default_col"] == "Default value"
+        )
+
 
 class TestOnConflict(TestCase):
     def setUp(self) -> None:
diff --git a/tests/example_apps/mega/piccolo_migrations/2021-09-20T21-23-25-698988.py b/tests/example_apps/mega/piccolo_migrations/2021-09-20T21-23-25-698988.py
index f204dbb7c..225f2a118 100644
--- a/tests/example_apps/mega/piccolo_migrations/2021-09-20T21-23-25-698988.py
+++ b/tests/example_apps/mega/piccolo_migrations/2021-09-20T21-23-25-698988.py
@@ -429,6 +429,28 @@ async def forwards():
         },
     )
 
+    manager.add_column(
+        table_class_name="MegaTable",
+        tablename="mega_table",
+        column_name="null_with_default_col",
+        db_column_name="null_with_default_col",
+        column_class_name="Varchar",
+        column_class=Varchar,
+        params={
+            "length": 255,
+            "default": "Default value",
+            "null": True,
+            "primary_key": False,
+            "unique": False,
+            "index": False,
+            "index_method": IndexMethod.btree,
+            "choices": None,
+            "db_column_name": None,
+            "secret": False,
+        },
+        schema=None,
+    )
+
     manager.add_column(
         table_class_name="SmallTable",
         tablename="small_table",
diff --git a/tests/example_apps/mega/tables.py b/tests/example_apps/mega/tables.py
index 8947bb3e2..931ca884c 100644
--- a/tests/example_apps/mega/tables.py
+++ b/tests/example_apps/mega/tables.py
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ class MegaTable(Table):  # type: ignore
         unique_col = Varchar(unique=True)
         null_col = Varchar(null=True)
         not_null_col = Varchar(null=False)
+        null_with_default_col = Varchar(null=True, default="Default value")
 
 else:
 
@@ -92,3 +93,4 @@ class MegaTable(Table):  # type: ignore
         unique_col = Varchar(unique=True)
         null_col = Varchar(null=True)
         not_null_col = Varchar(null=False)
+        null_with_default_col = Varchar(null=True, default="Default value")