diff --git a/container_linux_test.go b/container_linux_test.go
index ece24bf66..9953e7133 100644
--- a/container_linux_test.go
+++ b/container_linux_test.go
@@ -1432,9 +1432,9 @@ func testUserNamespaces(t *testing.T, readonlyRootFS bool) {
 		}),
 	)}
 	if readonlyRootFS {
-		opts = append([]NewContainerOpts{WithRemappedSnapshotView(id, image, 1000, 2000)}, opts...)
+		opts = append([]NewContainerOpts{WithRemappedSnapshotView(id, image, 1000, 2000, remapperChown)}, opts...)
 	} else {
-		opts = append([]NewContainerOpts{WithRemappedSnapshot(id, image, 1000, 2000)}, opts...)
+		opts = append([]NewContainerOpts{WithRemappedSnapshot(id, image, 1000, 2000, remapperChown)}, opts...)
 	}
 
 	container, err := client.NewContainer(ctx, id, opts...)
diff --git a/container_opts_unix.go b/container_opts_unix.go
index b109a10ec..04be00cd1 100644
--- a/container_opts_unix.go
+++ b/container_opts_unix.go
@@ -28,22 +28,35 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/containers"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/errdefs"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/mount"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/snapshots"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/identity"
 )
 
+// Remapper specifies the type of remapping to be done
+type Remapper string
+
+const (
+	remapperChown       Remapper = "chown"
+	remapperSnapshotter Remapper = "snapshotter"
+)
+
 // WithRemappedSnapshot creates a new snapshot and remaps the uid/gid for the
 // filesystem to be used by a container with user namespaces
-func WithRemappedSnapshot(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32) NewContainerOpts {
-	return withRemappedSnapshotBase(id, i, uid, gid, false)
+func WithRemappedSnapshot(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, remapper Remapper) NewContainerOpts {
+	return withRemappedSnapshotBase(id, i, uid, gid, false, remapper)
 }
 
 // WithRemappedSnapshotView is similar to WithRemappedSnapshot but rootfs is mounted as read-only.
-func WithRemappedSnapshotView(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32) NewContainerOpts {
-	return withRemappedSnapshotBase(id, i, uid, gid, true)
+func WithRemappedSnapshotView(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, remapper Remapper) NewContainerOpts {
+	return withRemappedSnapshotBase(id, i, uid, gid, true, remapper)
 }
 
-func withRemappedSnapshotBase(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, readonly bool) NewContainerOpts {
+func withRemappedSnapshotBase(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, readonly bool, remapper Remapper) NewContainerOpts {
 	return func(ctx context.Context, client *Client, c *containers.Container) error {
+		if remapper != remapperChown && remapper != remapperSnapshotter {
+			return fmt.Errorf("remapper must be either '%s' or '%s'", remapperChown, remapperSnapshotter)
+		}
+
 		diffIDs, err := i.(*image).i.RootFS(ctx, client.ContentStore(), client.platform)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -52,6 +65,7 @@ func withRemappedSnapshotBase(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, readonly bool
 		var (
 			parent   = identity.ChainID(diffIDs).String()
 			usernsID = fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d-%d", parent, uid, gid)
+			opts     = []snapshots.Opt{}
 		)
 		c.Snapshotter, err = client.resolveSnapshotterName(ctx, c.Snapshotter)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -61,8 +75,15 @@ func withRemappedSnapshotBase(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, readonly bool
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+		if remapper == remapperSnapshotter {
+			opts = append(opts,
+				snapshots.WithLabels(map[string]string{
+					"containerd.io/snapshot/uidmapping": fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d:%d", 0, uid, 65535),
+					"containerd.io/snapshot/gidmapping": fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d:%d", 0, gid, 65535),
+				}))
+		}
 		if _, err := snapshotter.Stat(ctx, usernsID); err == nil {
-			if _, err := snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, id, usernsID); err == nil {
+			if _, err := snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, id, usernsID, opts...); err == nil {
 				c.SnapshotKey = id
 				c.Image = i.Name()
 				return nil
@@ -70,21 +91,23 @@ func withRemappedSnapshotBase(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, readonly bool
 				return err
 			}
 		}
-		mounts, err := snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, usernsID+"-remap", parent)
+		mounts, err := snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, usernsID+"-remap", parent, opts...)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if err := remapRootFS(ctx, mounts, uid, gid); err != nil {
-			snapshotter.Remove(ctx, usernsID)
-			return err
+		if remapper == remapperChown {
+			if err := remapRootFS(ctx, mounts, uid, gid); err != nil {
+				snapshotter.Remove(ctx, usernsID)
+				return err
+			}
 		}
-		if err := snapshotter.Commit(ctx, usernsID, usernsID+"-remap"); err != nil {
+		if err := snapshotter.Commit(ctx, usernsID, usernsID+"-remap", opts...); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 		if readonly {
-			_, err = snapshotter.View(ctx, id, usernsID)
+			_, err = snapshotter.View(ctx, id, usernsID, opts...)
 		} else {
-			_, err = snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, id, usernsID)
+			_, err = snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, id, usernsID, opts...)
 		}
 		if err != nil {
 			return err