diff --git a/datafusion/core/benches/dataframe.rs b/datafusion/core/benches/dataframe.rs
index 087764883a33..03078e05e105 100644
--- a/datafusion/core/benches/dataframe.rs
+++ b/datafusion/core/benches/dataframe.rs
@@ -56,8 +56,7 @@ fn run(column_count: u32, ctx: Arc<SessionContext>) {
 
             data_frame = data_frame
                 .with_column_renamed(field_name, new_field_name)
-                .unwrap();
-            data_frame = data_frame
+                .unwrap()
                 .with_column(new_field_name, btrim(vec![col(new_field_name)]))
                 .unwrap();
         }
@@ -68,8 +67,7 @@ fn run(column_count: u32, ctx: Arc<SessionContext>) {
 }
 
 fn criterion_benchmark(c: &mut Criterion) {
-    // 500 takes far too long right now
-    for column_count in [10, 100, 200 /* 500 */] {
+    for column_count in [10, 100, 200, 500] {
         let ctx = create_context(column_count).unwrap();
 
         c.bench_function(&format!("with_column_{column_count}"), |b| {
diff --git a/datafusion/core/src/dataframe/mod.rs b/datafusion/core/src/dataframe/mod.rs
index 0f77217f86ef..debbf96d3566 100644
--- a/datafusion/core/src/dataframe/mod.rs
+++ b/datafusion/core/src/dataframe/mod.rs
@@ -1700,7 +1700,7 @@ impl DataFrame {
         .await
     }
 
-    /// Add an additional column to the DataFrame.
+    /// Add or replace a column in the DataFrame.
     ///
     /// # Example
     /// ```
@@ -1728,6 +1728,14 @@ impl DataFrame {
 
         let mut col_exists = false;
         let new_column = expr.alias(name);
+        // if the existing plan is a projection we can skip validation
+        // this is only really true as long as only the dataframe api
+        // is used. If the logical plan is built first then .with_column
+        // is called that wouldn't be a valid assumption
+        let existing_requires_validation = match plan {
+            LogicalPlan::Projection(_) => false,
+            _ => true,
+        };
         let mut fields: Vec<(Expr, bool)> = plan
             .schema()
             .iter()
@@ -1741,7 +1749,7 @@ impl DataFrame {
                         .as_ref()
                         .filter(|s| *s == &e.to_string())
                         .is_none()
-                        .then_some((e, false))
+                        .then_some((e, existing_requires_validation))
                 }
             })
             .collect();
@@ -1813,9 +1821,11 @@ impl DataFrame {
             .iter()
             .map(|(qualifier, field)| {
                 if qualifier.eq(&qualifier_rename) && field.as_ref() == field_rename {
-                    (col(Column::from((qualifier, field)))
-                        .alias_qualified(qualifier.cloned(), new_name),
-                         false)
+                    (
+                        col(Column::from((qualifier, field)))
+                            .alias_qualified(qualifier.cloned(), new_name),
+                        false,
+                    )
                 } else {
                     (col(Column::from((qualifier, field))), false)
                 }
diff --git a/datafusion/expr/src/logical_plan/builder.rs b/datafusion/expr/src/logical_plan/builder.rs
index 2d2c471bd1ea..10c5a2c24908 100644
--- a/datafusion/expr/src/logical_plan/builder.rs
+++ b/datafusion/expr/src/logical_plan/builder.rs
@@ -499,6 +499,7 @@ impl LogicalPlanBuilder {
     }
 
     /// Apply a projection without alias with optional validation
+    /// (true to validate, false to not validate)
     pub fn project_with_validation(
         self,
         expr: Vec<(impl Into<Expr>, bool)>,
@@ -1626,7 +1627,7 @@ pub fn project(
 
 /// Create Projection. Similar to project except that the expressions
 /// passed in have a flag to indicate if that expression requires
-/// validation (normalize & columnize) or not
+/// validation (normalize & columnize) (true) or not (false)
 /// # Errors
 /// This function errors under any of the following conditions:
 /// * Two or more expressions have the same name