diff --git a/services/web/frontend/js/features/ui/components/bootstrap-5/navbar/nav-dropdown-menu.tsx b/services/web/frontend/js/features/ui/components/bootstrap-5/navbar/nav-dropdown-menu.tsx
index 83734179a3..97f457ef9f 100644
--- a/services/web/frontend/js/features/ui/components/bootstrap-5/navbar/nav-dropdown-menu.tsx
+++ b/services/web/frontend/js/features/ui/components/bootstrap-5/navbar/nav-dropdown-menu.tsx
@@ -31,7 +31,9 @@ export default function NavDropdownMenu({
     >
       <Dropdown.Toggle role="menuitem">
         {title}
-        {isDsNav && <Caret weight="bold" className="ms-2" />}
+        {isDsNav && (
+          <Caret weight="bold" className="ms-2 navbar-dropdown-caret" />
+        )}
       </Dropdown.Toggle>
       <Dropdown.Menu as="ul" role="menu" align="end">
         {children}
diff --git a/services/web/frontend/stylesheets/bootstrap-5/pages/project-list-ds-nav.scss b/services/web/frontend/stylesheets/bootstrap-5/pages/project-list-ds-nav.scss
index c9402e8bbe..433b6a541c 100644
--- a/services/web/frontend/stylesheets/bootstrap-5/pages/project-list-ds-nav.scss
+++ b/services/web/frontend/stylesheets/bootstrap-5/pages/project-list-ds-nav.scss
@@ -310,4 +310,9 @@
       @include body-xs;
     }
   }
+
+  // Only show the dropdown caret icon in the DS nav version of the project dashboard
+  .navbar-dropdown-caret {
+    display: unset;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/services/web/frontend/stylesheets/bootstrap-5/pages/project-list.scss b/services/web/frontend/stylesheets/bootstrap-5/pages/project-list.scss
index c6e61099c7..4427cbdfba 100644
--- a/services/web/frontend/stylesheets/bootstrap-5/pages/project-list.scss
+++ b/services/web/frontend/stylesheets/bootstrap-5/pages/project-list.scss
@@ -775,3 +775,8 @@ form.project-search {
     inset: 0;
   }
 }
+
+// Hide expander caret icon by default so that it only ever appears in the DS nav version of the project dashboard
+.navbar-dropdown-caret {
+  display: none;
+}