diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/lib/user-pool-client.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/lib/user-pool-client.ts
index 2b785db4ce4e2..ac67257b6a315 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/lib/user-pool-client.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/lib/user-pool-client.ts
@@ -30,12 +30,6 @@ export interface AuthFlow {
    * @default false
    */
   readonly userSrp?: boolean;
-
-  /**
-   * Enable authflow to refresh tokens
-   * @default false
-   */
-  readonly refreshToken?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -343,12 +337,18 @@ export class UserPoolClient extends Resource implements IUserPoolClient {
   }
 
   private configureAuthFlows(props: UserPoolClientProps): string[] | undefined {
+    if (!props.authFlows) return undefined;
+
     const authFlows: string[] = [];
-    if (props.authFlows?.userPassword) { authFlows.push('ALLOW_USER_PASSWORD_AUTH'); }
-    if (props.authFlows?.adminUserPassword) { authFlows.push('ALLOW_ADMIN_USER_PASSWORD_AUTH'); }
-    if (props.authFlows?.custom) { authFlows.push('ALLOW_CUSTOM_AUTH'); }
-    if (props.authFlows?.userSrp) { authFlows.push('ALLOW_USER_SRP_AUTH'); }
-    if (props.authFlows?.refreshToken) { authFlows.push('ALLOW_REFRESH_TOKEN_AUTH'); }
+    if (props.authFlows.userPassword) { authFlows.push('ALLOW_USER_PASSWORD_AUTH'); }
+    if (props.authFlows.adminUserPassword) { authFlows.push('ALLOW_ADMIN_USER_PASSWORD_AUTH'); }
+    if (props.authFlows.custom) { authFlows.push('ALLOW_CUSTOM_AUTH'); }
+    if (props.authFlows.userSrp) { authFlows.push('ALLOW_USER_SRP_AUTH'); }
+
+    // refreshToken should always be allowed if authFlows are present
+    if (authFlows.length > 0) {
+      authFlows.push('ALLOW_REFRESH_TOKEN_AUTH');
+    }
 
     if (authFlows.length === 0) {
       return undefined;
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/test/integ.user-pool-client-explicit-props.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/test/integ.user-pool-client-explicit-props.ts
index 06fbe5b373c81..dbad2591fc1bc 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/test/integ.user-pool-client-explicit-props.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/test/integ.user-pool-client-explicit-props.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ userpool.addClient('myuserpoolclient', {
   authFlows: {
     adminUserPassword: true,
     custom: true,
-    refreshToken: true,
     userPassword: true,
     userSrp: true,
   },
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/test/user-pool-client.test.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/test/user-pool-client.test.ts
index 10e4dc2711f31..081d9d9e6526b 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/test/user-pool-client.test.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-cognito/test/user-pool-client.test.ts
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ describe('User Pool Client', () => {
       authFlows: {
         adminUserPassword: true,
         custom: true,
-        refreshToken: true,
         userPassword: true,
         userSrp: true,
       },
@@ -95,6 +94,26 @@ describe('User Pool Client', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  test('ExplicitAuthFlows makes refreshToken true by default', () => {
+    // GIVEN
+    const stack = new Stack();
+    const pool = new UserPool(stack, 'Pool');
+
+    // WHEN
+    pool.addClient('Client', {
+      authFlows: {
+        userSrp: true,
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(stack).toHaveResourceLike('AWS::Cognito::UserPoolClient', {
+      ExplicitAuthFlows: [
+        'ALLOW_USER_SRP_AUTH',
+        'ALLOW_REFRESH_TOKEN_AUTH',
+      ],
+    });
+  });
+
   test('AllowedOAuthFlows are correctly named', () => {
     // GIVEN
     const stack = new Stack();
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-elasticloadbalancingv2-actions/test/integ.cognito.lit.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-elasticloadbalancingv2-actions/test/integ.cognito.lit.ts
index f9ab2c015b382..c68562ee6ffcb 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-elasticloadbalancingv2-actions/test/integ.cognito.lit.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-elasticloadbalancingv2-actions/test/integ.cognito.lit.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ class CognitoStack extends Stack {
       generateSecret: true,
       authFlows: {
         userPassword: true,
-        refreshToken: true,
       },
       oAuth: {
         flows: {