diff --git a/gst-libs/ext/ffmpeg/Makefile.am b/gst-libs/ext/ffmpeg/Makefile.am
index 27ce76143c..abe2aaef49 100644
--- a/gst-libs/ext/ffmpeg/Makefile.am
+++ b/gst-libs/ext/ffmpeg/Makefile.am
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ else
 FFMPEG_DIR=
 endif
 
+MAKEFLAGS=-j1
+
 # patch it up before descending into dirs
 all-recursive: patches