diff --git a/make/compiler_flags b/make/compiler_flags
index 023298fd0fe..549de3925d0 100644
--- a/make/compiler_flags
+++ b/make/compiler_flags
@@ -314,8 +314,8 @@ endif
 
 CXXFLAGS += $(CXXFLAGS_LANG) $(CXXFLAGS_OS) $(CXXFLAGS_WARNINGS) $(CXXFLAGS_BOOST) $(CXXFLAGS_EIGEN) $(CXXFLAGS_OPENCL) $(CXXFLAGS_MPI) $(CXXFLAGS_THREADS) $(CXXFLAGS_TBB) $(CXXFLAGS_FLTO) $(CXXFLAGS_OPTIM) $(CXXFLAGS_NO_RANGE_CHECKS) -O$(O) $(INC)
 CPPFLAGS += $(CPPFLAGS_LANG) $(CPPFLAGS_OS) $(CPPFLAGS_WARNINGS) $(CPPFLAGS_BOOST) $(CPPFLAGS_EIGEN) $(CPPFLAGS_OPENCL) $(CPPFLAGS_TBB) $(CPPFLAGS_MPI) $(CPPFLAGS_TBB) $(CPPFLAGS_FLTO) $(CPPFLAGS_OPTIM) $(CXXFLAGS_NO_RANGE_CHECKS)
-LDFLAGS += $(LDFLAGS_LANG) $(LDFLAGS_OS) $(LDFLAGS_WARNINGS) $(LDFLAGS_BOOST) $(LDFLAGS_EIGEN) $(LDFLAGS_OPENCL) $(LDFLAGS_MPI) $(LDFLAGS_TBB) $(LDFLAGS_FLTO) $(LDFLAGS_OPTIM)
-LDLIBS += $(LDLIBS_LANG) $(LDLIBS_OS) $(LDLIBS_WARNINGS) $(LDLIBS_BOOST) $(LDLIBS_EIGEN) $(LDLIBS_OPENCL) $(LDLIBS_MPI) $(LDLIBS_TBB)
+LDFLAGS += $(LDFLAGS_LANG) $(LDFLAGS_OS) $(LDFLAGS_WARNINGS) $(LDFLAGS_EIGEN) $(LDFLAGS_BOOST) $(LDFLAGS_SUNDIALS) $(LDFLAGS_TBB) $(LDFLAGS_OPENCL) $(LDFLAGS_MPI) $(LDFLAGS_FLTO) $(LDFLAGS_OPTIM)
+LDLIBS += $(LDLIBS_LANG) $(LDLIBS_OS) $(LDLIBS_WARNINGS) $(LDLIBS_EIGEN) $(LDLIBS_BOOST) $(LDLIBS_SUNDIALS) $(LDLIBS_TBB) $(LDLIBS_OPENCL) $(LDLIBS_MPI)
 
 .PHONY: print-compiler-flags
 print-compiler-flags:
@@ -354,8 +354,9 @@ print-compiler-flags:
 	@echo '  LDLIBS:'
 	@echo '  - LDLIBS_LANG                 ' $(LDLIBS_LANG)
 	@echo '  - LDLIBS_WARNINGS             ' $(LDLIBS_WARNINGS)
-	@echo '  - LDLIBS_BOOST                ' $(LDLIBS_BOOST)
 	@echo '  - LDLIBS_EIGEN                ' $(LDLIBS_EIGEN)
+	@echo '  - LDLIBS_BOOST                ' $(LDLIBS_BOOST)
+	@echo '  - LDLIBS_SUNDIALS             ' $(LDLIBS_SUNDIALS)
 	@echo '  - LDLIBS_OS                   ' $(LDLIBS_OS)
 	@echo '  - LDLIBS_GTEST                ' $(LDLIBS_GTEST)
 	@echo '  - LDLIBS_OPENCL               ' $(LDLIBS_OPENCL)
@@ -364,8 +365,9 @@ print-compiler-flags:
 	@echo '  LDFLAGS:'
 	@echo '  - LDFLAGS_LANG                ' $(LDFLAGS_LANG)
 	@echo '  - LDFLAGS_WARNINGS            ' $(LDFLAGS_WARNINGS)
-	@echo '  - LDFLAGS_BOOST               ' $(LDFLAGS_BOOST)
 	@echo '  - LDFLAGS_EIGEN               ' $(LDFLAGS_EIGEN)
+	@echo '  - LDFLAGS_BOOST               ' $(LDFLAGS_BOOST)
+	@echo '  - LDFLAGS_SUNDIALS            ' $(LDFLAGS_SUNDIALS)
 	@echo '  - LDFLAGS_OS                  ' $(LDFLAGS_OS)
 	@echo '  - LDFLAGS_GTEST               ' $(LDFLAGS_GTEST)
 	@echo '  - LDFLAGS_OPENCL              ' $(LDFLAGS_OPENCL)
diff --git a/make/libraries b/make/libraries
index 47f9ffd461d..2eb512e3f3c 100644
--- a/make/libraries
+++ b/make/libraries
@@ -79,14 +79,17 @@ $(SUNDIALS)/lib/libsundials_nvecserial.a: $(SUNDIALS_NVECSERIAL)
 	@mkdir -p $(dir $@)
 	$(AR) -rs $@ $^
 
-LIBSUNDIALS := $(SUNDIALS)/lib/libsundials_nvecserial.a $(SUNDIALS)/lib/libsundials_cvodes.a $(SUNDIALS)/lib/libsundials_idas.a $(SUNDIALS)/lib/libsundials_kinsol.a
+SUNDIALS_TARGETS ?= $(SUNDIALS)/lib/libsundials_nvecserial.a $(SUNDIALS)/lib/libsundials_cvodes.a $(SUNDIALS)/lib/libsundials_idas.a $(SUNDIALS)/lib/libsundials_kinsol.a
+
+# FIXME(dl, 02/2023): remove LIBSUNDIALS variable after replacing use in Stan and CmdStan with SUNDIALS_TARGETS
+LIBSUNDIALS = $(SUNDIALS_TARGETS)
 
 STAN_SUNDIALS_HEADERS :=  $(call findfiles,$(MATH)stan,*cvodes*.hpp) $(call findfiles,$(MATH)stan,*idas*.hpp) $(call findfiles,$(MATH)stan,*kinsol*.hpp)
-$(STAN_SUNDIALS_HEADERS) : $(LIBSUNDIALS)
+$(STAN_SUNDIALS_HEADERS) : $(SUNDIALS_TARGETS)
 
 clean-sundials:
 	@echo '  cleaning sundials targets'
-	$(RM) $(wildcard $(sort $(SUNDIALS_CVODES) $(SUNDIALS_IDAS) $(SUNDIALS_KINSOL) $(SUNDIALS_NVECSERIAL) $(LIBSUNDIALS)))
+	$(RM) $(wildcard $(sort $(SUNDIALS_CVODES) $(SUNDIALS_IDAS) $(SUNDIALS_KINSOL) $(SUNDIALS_NVECSERIAL) $(SUNDIALS_TARGETS)))
 
 
 ############################################################
diff --git a/make/standalone b/make/standalone
index f0306b3638d..782f95a9fe3 100644
--- a/make/standalone
+++ b/make/standalone
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ MATH ?= $(realpath $(MATH_MAKE)..)/
 # The sundials libraries are only needed for
 # programs using the stiff ode solver or the
 # algebra solver
-MATH_LIBS ?= $(LIBSUNDIALS) $(MPI_TARGETS) $(TBB_TARGETS)
+MATH_LIBS ?= $(SUNDIALS_TARGETS) $(MPI_TARGETS) $(TBB_TARGETS)
 
 LDLIBS += $(MATH_LIBS)
 
diff --git a/make/tests b/make/tests
index 9773c9b83cf..a1988cb46f4 100644
--- a/make/tests
+++ b/make/tests
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ test/unit/multiple_translation_units_test$(EXE): test/unit/libmultiple.so
 ##
 
 EXPRESSION_TESTS := $(subst .cpp,$(EXE),$(call findfiles,test/expressions,*_test.cpp))
-$(EXPRESSION_TESTS) : $(LIBSUNDIALS)
+$(EXPRESSION_TESTS) : $(SUNDIALS_TARGETS)
 
 
 ############################################################
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ $(EXPRESSION_TESTS) : $(LIBSUNDIALS)
 ##
 
 CVODES_TESTS := $(subst .cpp,$(EXE),$(call findfiles,test,*cvodes*_test.cpp) $(call findfiles,test,*_bdf_*_test.cpp) $(call findfiles,test,*_adams_*_test.cpp) $(call findfiles,test,*_ode_typed_*test.cpp) $(call findfiles,test,*_ode_adjoint_typed_*test.cpp))
-$(CVODES_TESTS) : $(LIBSUNDIALS)
+$(CVODES_TESTS) : $(SUNDIALS_TARGETS)
 
 
 ############################################################
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ $(CVODES_TESTS) : $(LIBSUNDIALS)
 ##
 
 IDAS_TESTS := $(subst .cpp,$(EXE),$(call findfiles,test,*idas*_test.cpp) $(call findfiles,test,*_dae*_test.cpp))
-$(IDAS_TESTS) : $(LIBSUNDIALS)
+$(IDAS_TESTS) : $(SUNDIALS_TARGETS)
 
 
 ############################################################
@@ -83,11 +83,11 @@ $(IDAS_TESTS) : $(LIBSUNDIALS)
 ##
 
 ALGEBRA_SOLVER_TESTS := $(subst .cpp,$(EXE),$(call findfiles,test,*solve*_test.cpp))
-$(ALGEBRA_SOLVER_TESTS) : $(LIBSUNDIALS)
+$(ALGEBRA_SOLVER_TESTS) : $(SUNDIALS_TARGETS)
 
 ### These can be generated by the jumbo tests and include the above kinds
 FUNCTOR_TESTS := $(subst .cpp,$(EXE),$(call findfiles,test,functor_*_test.cpp))
-$(FUNCTOR_TESTS) : $(LIBSUNDIALS)
+$(FUNCTOR_TESTS) : $(SUNDIALS_TARGETS)
 
 ############################################################
 #