diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index ed362ba217c..b5ccf773ad4 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -193,7 +193,6 @@ build_deps:
 		-t gcr.io/$(GCP_PROJECT)/build_deps:$(DEPS_DIGEST) \
 		deploy/skaffold
 	docker push gcr.io/$(GCP_PROJECT)/build_deps:$(DEPS_DIGEST)
-	@./hack/check-skaffold-builder.sh
 
 .PHONY: skaffold-builder
 skaffold-builder:
diff --git a/deploy/cloudbuild-release.yaml b/deploy/cloudbuild-release.yaml
index eacf77a3812..4dfe8234826 100644
--- a/deploy/cloudbuild-release.yaml
+++ b/deploy/cloudbuild-release.yaml
@@ -1,6 +1,19 @@
 # using default substitutions, provided by Google Cloud Build
 # see: https://cloud.google.com/container-builder/docs/configuring-builds/substitute-variable-values#using_default_substitutions
 steps:
+
+# Build and tag skaffold-deps image using docker with cache-from
+  - name: 'gcr.io/cloud-builders/docker'
+    args:
+    - 'build'
+    - '-t'
+    - 'gcr.io/$PROJECT_ID/build_deps:latest'
+    - '--cache-from'
+    - 'gcr.io/k8s-skaffold/build_deps:latest'
+    - '-f'
+    - 'deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile.deps'
+    - '.'
+
 # Grab secret credentials from gcp bucket
   - name: gcr.io/cloud-builders/gcloud
     entrypoint: 'bash'
@@ -38,4 +51,4 @@ images:
 options:
   machineType: 'N1_HIGHCPU_8'
 
-timeout: 1200s
+timeout: 1500s
diff --git a/deploy/cloudbuild.yaml b/deploy/cloudbuild.yaml
index fc2711b8017..8ba935fe030 100644
--- a/deploy/cloudbuild.yaml
+++ b/deploy/cloudbuild.yaml
@@ -1,6 +1,18 @@
 # using default substitutions, provided by Google Cloud Build
 # see: https://cloud.google.com/container-builder/docs/configuring-builds/substitute-variable-values#using_default_substitutions
 steps:
+# Build and tag skaffold-deps image using docker with cache-from
+  - name: 'gcr.io/cloud-builders/docker'
+    args:
+    - 'build'
+    - '-t'
+    - 'gcr.io/$PROJECT_ID/build_deps:latest'
+    - '--cache-from'
+    - 'gcr.io/k8s-skaffold/build_deps:latest'
+    - '-f'
+    - 'deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile.deps'
+    - '.'
+
 # Grab secret credentials from gcp bucket
   - name: gcr.io/cloud-builders/gcloud
     entrypoint: 'bash'
@@ -37,4 +49,4 @@ images:
 options:
   machineType: 'N1_HIGHCPU_8'
 
-timeout: 1200s
+timeout: 1500s
diff --git a/deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile b/deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile
index a7f5536c768..5d931acf23b 100644
--- a/deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile
+++ b/deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
-# This base image has to be updated manually after running `make build_deps`
-FROM gcr.io/k8s-skaffold/build_deps:a2f5d630a6cf9f3f7cb777f4e6f7cf46045d4846 as build
+# This base image is built using docker from cache every single time as build step.
+FROM gcr.io/k8s-skaffold/build_deps:latest as build
 WORKDIR /skaffold
 
 FROM build as builder
diff --git a/deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile.deps b/deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile.deps
index eed19ca0ce3..be0315d9e01 100644
--- a/deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile.deps
+++ b/deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile.deps
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ ARG ARCH
 ENV KUBECTL_VERSION v1.20.10
 ENV KUBECTL_URL https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/${KUBECTL_VERSION}/bin/linux/${ARCH}/kubectl
 # SHAs at gs://kubernetes-release/release/${KUBECTL_VERSION}/bin/linux/${ARCH}/
-COPY digests/kubectl.${ARCH}.sha512 .
+COPY deploy/skaffold/digests/kubectl.${ARCH}.sha512 .
 RUN wget -O kubectl "${KUBECTL_URL}" && sha512sum -c kubectl.${ARCH}.sha512
 RUN chmod +x kubectl
 
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ ARG ARCH
 RUN echo arch=$ARCH
 ENV HELM_VERSION v3.7.1
 ENV HELM_URL https://get.helm.sh/helm-${HELM_VERSION}-linux-${ARCH}.tar.gz
-COPY digests/helm.${ARCH}.sha256 .
+COPY deploy/skaffold/digests/helm.${ARCH}.sha256 .
 RUN wget -O helm.tar.gz "${HELM_URL}" && sha256sum -c helm.${ARCH}.sha256
 RUN tar -xvf helm.tar.gz --strip-components 1
 
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ FROM alpine:3.10 as download-kustomize
 ARG ARCH
 ENV KUSTOMIZE_VERSION 4.4.0
 ENV KUSTOMIZE_URL https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kustomize/releases/download/kustomize/v${KUSTOMIZE_VERSION}/kustomize_v${KUSTOMIZE_VERSION}_linux_${ARCH}.tar.gz
-COPY digests/kustomize.${ARCH}.sha256 .
+COPY deploy/skaffold/digests/kustomize.${ARCH}.sha256 .
 RUN wget -O kustomize.tar.gz "${KUSTOMIZE_URL}" && sha256sum -c kustomize.${ARCH}.sha256
 RUN tar -xvf kustomize.tar.gz
 
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ FROM alpine:3.10 as download-kpt
 ARG ARCH
 ENV KPT_VERSION 0.39.3
 ENV KPT_URL https://github.com/GoogleContainerTools/kpt/releases/download/v${KPT_VERSION}/kpt_linux_amd64
-COPY digests/kpt.${ARCH}.sha256 .
+COPY deploy/skaffold/digests/kpt.${ARCH}.sha256 .
 RUN wget -O kpt "${KPT_URL}" && sha256sum -c kpt.${ARCH}.sha256
 RUN chmod +x kpt
 
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ FROM alpine:3.10 as download-kompose
 ARG ARCH
 ENV KOMPOSE_VERSION v1.24.0
 ENV KOMPOSE_URL https://github.com/kubernetes/kompose/releases/download/${KOMPOSE_VERSION}/kompose-linux-amd64
-COPY digests/kompose.${ARCH}.sha256 .
+COPY deploy/skaffold/digests/kompose.${ARCH}.sha256 .
 RUN wget -O kompose "${KOMPOSE_URL}" && sha256sum -c kompose.${ARCH}.sha256
 RUN chmod +x kompose
 
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ FROM alpine:3.10 as download-container-structure-test
 ARG ARCH
 ENV CONTAINER_STRUCTURE_TEST_VERSION v1.10.0
 ENV CONTAINER_STRUCTURE_TEST_URL https://storage.googleapis.com/container-structure-test/${CONTAINER_STRUCTURE_TEST_VERSION}/container-structure-test-linux-${ARCH}
-COPY digests/container-structure-test.${ARCH}.sha512 .
+COPY deploy/skaffold/digests/container-structure-test.${ARCH}.sha512 .
 RUN wget -O container-structure-test "${CONTAINER_STRUCTURE_TEST_URL}" && sha512sum -c container-structure-test.${ARCH}.sha512
 RUN chmod +x container-structure-test
 
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ FROM alpine:3.10 as download-kind
 ARG ARCH
 ENV KIND_VERSION v0.11.1
 ENV KIND_URL https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/download/${KIND_VERSION}/kind-linux-${ARCH}
-COPY digests/kind.${ARCH}.sha512 .
+COPY deploy/skaffold/digests/kind.${ARCH}.sha512 .
 RUN wget -O kind "${KIND_URL}" && sha512sum -c kind.${ARCH}.sha512
 RUN chmod +x kind
 
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ FROM alpine:3.10 as download-k3d
 ARG ARCH
 ENV K3D_VERSION v5.0.3
 ENV K3D_URL https://github.com/rancher/k3d/releases/download/${K3D_VERSION}/k3d-linux-amd64
-COPY digests/k3d.${ARCH}.sha256 .
+COPY deploy/skaffold/digests/k3d.${ARCH}.sha256 .
 RUN wget -O k3d "${K3D_URL}" && sha256sum -c k3d.${ARCH}.sha256
 RUN chmod +x k3d
 
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ ARG ARCH
 ENV GCLOUD_VERSION 360.0.0
 ENV GCLOUD_URL https://dl.google.com/dl/cloudsdk/channels/rapid/downloads/google-cloud-sdk-${GCLOUD_VERSION}-linux-GCLOUDARCH.tar.gz
 # SHAs listed at https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/downloads-versioned-archives
-COPY digests/gcloud.${ARCH}.sha256 .
+COPY deploy/skaffold/digests/gcloud.${ARCH}.sha256 .
 RUN \
     GCLOUDARCH=$(case "${ARCH}" in amd64) echo x86_64;; *) echo ${ARCH};; esac); \
     wget -O gcloud.tar.gz $(echo "${GCLOUD_URL}" | sed "s/GCLOUDARCH/${GCLOUDARCH}/g") && \
@@ -108,14 +108,14 @@ FROM alpine:3.10 as download-bazel
 ARG ARCH
 ENV BAZEL_VERSION 4.2.1
 ENV BAZEL_URL https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/releases/download/${BAZEL_VERSION}/bazel-${BAZEL_VERSION}-linux-BAZELARCH
-COPY digests/bazel.${ARCH}.sha256 .
+COPY deploy/skaffold/digests/bazel.${ARCH}.sha256 .
 RUN \
     BAZELARCH=$(case "${ARCH}" in amd64) echo x86_64;; *) echo ${ARCH};; esac); \
     wget -O bazel $(echo "${BAZEL_URL}" | sed "s/BAZELARCH/${BAZELARCH}/g") && \
     sha256sum -c bazel.${ARCH}.sha256
 RUN chmod +x bazel
 
-FROM gcr.io/gcp-runtimes/ubuntu_18_0_4 as runtime_deps
+FROM gcr.io/gcp-runtimes/ubuntu_20_0_4 as runtime_deps
 
 RUN apt-get update && \
     apt-get install --no-install-recommends --no-install-suggests -y \
diff --git a/hack/check-skaffold-builder.sh b/hack/check-skaffold-builder.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 6404eee17f8..00000000000
--- a/hack/check-skaffold-builder.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-
-# Copyright 2019 The Skaffold Authors
-#
-# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-# You may obtain a copy of the License at
-#
-#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-#
-# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-# limitations under the License.
-
-set -e -o pipefail
-
-DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
-
-DOCKERFILE=deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile
-SHA1=$("${DIR}/skaffold-deps-sha1.sh")
-UPDATED_DOCKERFILE=$(sed -E "s/FROM (.*):.* as (.*)/FROM \1:${SHA1} as \2/" deploy/skaffold/Dockerfile)
-echo "${UPDATED_DOCKERFILE}" > "${DOCKERFILE}"
-
-if [[ ! -z $(git status --porcelain -- "${DOCKERFILE}") ]]; then
-    echo "Please commit ${DOCKERFILE}"
-    exit 1
-fi
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/hack/checks.sh b/hack/checks.sh
index da4bf578810..48c13cc7bfd 100755
--- a/hack/checks.sh
+++ b/hack/checks.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ RESET='\033[0m'
 echo "Running validation scripts..."
 scripts=(
     "hack/check-schema-changes.sh"
-    "hack/check-skaffold-builder.sh"
     "hack/check-samples.sh"
     "hack/check-docs.sh"
     "hack/test-generated-proto.sh"