diff --git a/django/template/context_processors.py b/django/template/context_processors.py
index a81fe71829..dcd737f4ae 100644
--- a/django/template/context_processors.py
+++ b/django/template/context_processors.py
@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@ from __future__ import unicode_literals
 
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.middleware.csrf import get_token
+from django.utils import six
 from django.utils.encoding import smart_text
-from django.utils.functional import SimpleLazyObject, lazy
+from django.utils.functional import lazy
 
 
 def csrf(request):
@@ -29,8 +30,9 @@ def csrf(request):
             return 'NOTPROVIDED'
         else:
             return smart_text(token)
+    _get_val = lazy(_get_val, six.text_type)
 
-    return {'csrf_token': SimpleLazyObject(_get_val)}
+    return {'csrf_token': _get_val()}
 
 
 def debug(request):
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.8.3.txt b/docs/releases/1.8.3.txt
index 1155ac1cb6..d965630c77 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.8.3.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.8.3.txt
@@ -19,3 +19,6 @@ Bugfixes
   ``Count()`` (:ticket:`24835`).
 
 * Corrected ``HStoreField.has_changed()`` (:ticket:`24844`).
+
+* Reverted an optimization to the CSRF template context processor which caused
+  a regression (:ticket:`24836`).
diff --git a/tests/csrf_tests/test_context_processor.py b/tests/csrf_tests/test_context_processor.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..270b3e4771
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/csrf_tests/test_context_processor.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import json
+
+from django.http import HttpRequest
+from django.template.context_processors import csrf
+from django.test import SimpleTestCase
+from django.utils.encoding import force_text
+
+
+class TestContextProcessor(SimpleTestCase):
+
+    def test_force_text_on_token(self):
+        request = HttpRequest()
+        request.META['CSRF_COOKIE'] = 'test-token'
+        token = csrf(request).get('csrf_token')
+        self.assertEqual(json.dumps(force_text(token)), '"test-token"')