diff --git a/salt/elastalert/defaults.yaml b/salt/elastalert/defaults.yaml
index 1083fa8fd..0b31a6b99 100644
--- a/salt/elastalert/defaults.yaml
+++ b/salt/elastalert/defaults.yaml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ elastalert:
     es_port: 9200
     es_conn_timeout: 55
     max_query_size: 5000
+    eql: true
     use_ssl: true
     verify_certs: false
     writeback_index: elastalert_status