diff --git a/esphome/components/rp2040/__init__.py b/esphome/components/rp2040/__init__.py
index 1442a0a7f7..7ee8381ca5 100644
--- a/esphome/components/rp2040/__init__.py
+++ b/esphome/components/rp2040/__init__.py
@@ -190,6 +190,11 @@ async def to_code(config):
         ],
     )
 
+    # Wrap FILE*-based printf functions to eliminate newlib's _vfprintf_r
+    # (~8.9 KB). See printf_stubs.cpp for implementation.
+    for symbol in ("vprintf", "printf", "fprintf"):
+        cg.add_build_flag(f"-Wl,--wrap={symbol}")
+
     cg.add_platformio_option("board_build.core", "earlephilhower")
     cg.add_platformio_option("board_build.filesystem_size", "1m")
 
diff --git a/esphome/components/rp2040/printf_stubs.cpp b/esphome/components/rp2040/printf_stubs.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..83d916cd2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/esphome/components/rp2040/printf_stubs.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/*
+ * Linker wrap stubs for FILE*-based printf functions.
+ *
+ * The RP2040 Arduino framework and libraries may reference printf(),
+ * vprintf(), and fprintf() which pull in newlib's _vfprintf_r (~8.9 KB).
+ * ESPHome never uses these — all logging goes through the logger component
+ * which uses snprintf/vsnprintf, so the libc FILE*-based printf path is
+ * dead code.
+ *
+ * These stubs redirect through vsnprintf() (which is already in the binary)
+ * and fwrite(), allowing the linker to dead-code eliminate _vfprintf_r.
+ *
+ * Saves ~8.9 KB of flash.
+ */
+
+#if defined(USE_RP2040) && !defined(USE_FULL_PRINTF)
+#include <cstdarg>
+#include <cstdio>
+#include <cstdlib>
+
+namespace esphome::rp2040 {}
+
+static constexpr size_t PRINTF_BUFFER_SIZE = 512;
+
+// These stubs are essentially dead code at runtime — ESPHome uses its own
+// logging through snprintf/vsnprintf, not libc printf.
+// The buffer overflow check is purely defensive and should never trigger.
+static int write_printf_buffer(FILE *stream, char *buf, int len) {
+  if (len < 0) {
+    return len;
+  }
+  size_t write_len = len;
+  if (write_len >= PRINTF_BUFFER_SIZE) {
+    fwrite(buf, 1, PRINTF_BUFFER_SIZE - 1, stream);
+    abort();
+  }
+  if (fwrite(buf, 1, write_len, stream) < write_len || ferror(stream)) {
+    return -1;
+  }
+  return len;
+}
+
+// NOLINTBEGIN(bugprone-reserved-identifier,cert-dcl37-c,cert-dcl51-cpp,readability-identifier-naming)
+extern "C" {
+
+int __wrap_vprintf(const char *fmt, va_list ap) {
+  char buf[PRINTF_BUFFER_SIZE];
+  return write_printf_buffer(stdout, buf, vsnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), fmt, ap));
+}
+
+int __wrap_printf(const char *fmt, ...) {
+  va_list ap;
+  va_start(ap, fmt);
+  int len = __wrap_vprintf(fmt, ap);
+  va_end(ap);
+  return len;
+}
+
+int __wrap_fprintf(FILE *stream, const char *fmt, ...) {
+  va_list ap;
+  va_start(ap, fmt);
+  char buf[PRINTF_BUFFER_SIZE];
+  int len = write_printf_buffer(stream, buf, vsnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), fmt, ap));
+  va_end(ap);
+  return len;
+}
+
+}  // extern "C"
+// NOLINTEND(bugprone-reserved-identifier,cert-dcl37-c,cert-dcl51-cpp,readability-identifier-naming)
+
+#endif  // USE_RP2040 && !USE_FULL_PRINTF