diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/font_menu.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/font_menu.rs
index c7a74e3178..554eb9229f 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/font_menu.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/font_menu.rs
@@ -1642,18 +1642,20 @@ pub(crate) fn render_sample_for_test(family: &str, text: &str, px: u32) -> Optio
 }
 
 /// Waits for the samples rendering on this thread's behalf and keeps them, so the next frame
-/// draws them.
+/// draws them. Returns `false` when no sample was rendering.
 #[cfg(all(test, not(target_arch = "wasm32")))]
-pub(crate) fn wait_for_samples(ctx: &egui::Context) {
+pub(crate) fn wait_for_samples(ctx: &egui::Context) -> bool {
     SAMPLES.with(|s| {
         let mut s = s.borrow_mut();
         let pending: Vec<_> = s.pending.drain().collect();
+        let waited = !pending.is_empty();
         for (key, rx) in pending {
             let tex =
                 rx.recv().ok().flatten().map(|img| ctx.load_texture(format!("font-sample-{}-{}", key.0, key.3), img, egui::TextureOptions::LINEAR));
             s.ready.insert(key, tex);
         }
-    });
+        waited
+    })
 }
 
 // ---------- applying a pick ----------
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/tests/font_menu.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/tests/font_menu.rs
index 7ab5378e14..2c600d1aa3 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/tests/font_menu.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/tests/font_menu.rs
@@ -1031,8 +1031,15 @@ fn open_menu_with(id: &str, left: f32, width: f32, screen: egui::Vec2, look: Men
     for _ in 0..if tokens.is_some() { 15 } else { 5 } {
         frame(vec![]);
     }
-    crate::font_menu::wait_for_samples(&ctx);
-    let shapes = frame(vec![]);
+    // A frame starts only a few samples, and none while several are rendering: draw until a frame
+    // leaves none rendering, so that frame drew every shown row's sample.
+    let mut shapes = frame(vec![]);
+    let mut frames = 0;
+    while crate::font_menu::wait_for_samples(&ctx) {
+        frames += 1;
+        assert!(frames < 1000, "the menu's samples are still rendering after {frames} frames");
+        shapes = frame(vec![]);
+    }
     let mut texts = vec![];
     let mut samples = vec![];
     let mut tints = vec![];