diff --git a/spyder/utils/ipython/kernelspec.py b/spyder/utils/ipython/kernelspec.py
index c929f1429e1..236809ae1f1 100644
--- a/spyder/utils/ipython/kernelspec.py
+++ b/spyder/utils/ipython/kernelspec.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 from spyder.config.base import get_module_source_path
 from spyder.config.main import CONF
 from spyder.utils.encoding import to_unicode_from_fs
+from spyder.utils.programs import is_python_interpreter
 from spyder.py3compat import PY2, iteritems, to_text_string, to_binary_string
 from spyder.utils.misc import (add_pathlist_to_PYTHONPATH,
                                get_python_executable)
@@ -43,6 +44,11 @@ def argv(self):
             # to the kernel sys.path
             os.environ.pop('VIRTUAL_ENV', None)
             pyexec = CONF.get('main_interpreter', 'executable')
+            if not is_python_interpreter(pyexec):
+                pyexec = get_python_executable()
+                CONF.set('main_interpreter', 'executable', '')
+                CONF.set('main_interpreter', 'default', True)
+                CONF.set('main_interpreter', 'custom', False)
 
         # Fixes Issue #3427
         if os.name == 'nt':
diff --git a/spyder/utils/ipython/tests/test_spyder_kernel.py b/spyder/utils/ipython/tests/test_spyder_kernel.py
index 840cdba02be..1f08a21c0c7 100644
--- a/spyder/utils/ipython/tests/test_spyder_kernel.py
+++ b/spyder/utils/ipython/tests/test_spyder_kernel.py
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 """
 
 import os
-
 import pytest
 
 from spyder.config.main import CONF
@@ -18,6 +17,23 @@
 from spyder.utils.ipython.kernelspec import SpyderKernelSpec
 
 
+def test_python_interpreter(tmpdir):
+    """Test the validation of the python interpreter."""
+    # Set a non existing python interpreter
+    interpreter = str(tmpdir.mkdir('interpreter').join('python'))
+    CONF.set('main_interpreter', 'default', False)
+    CONF.set('main_interpreter', 'custom', True)
+    CONF.set('main_interpreter', 'executable', interpreter)
+
+    # Create a kernel spec
+    kernel_spec = SpyderKernelSpec()
+
+    # Assert that the python interprerter is the default one
+    assert interpreter not in kernel_spec.argv
+    assert CONF.get('main_interpreter', 'default')
+    assert not CONF.get('main_interpreter', 'custom')
+
+
 @pytest.mark.skipif(os.name != 'nt' or not PY2,
                     reason="It only makes sense on Windows and Python 2")
 def test_env_vars():