diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/styles/createTheme.test.js b/packages/mui-material/src/styles/createTheme.test.js
index 9ec0a1a2a776e5..3c24d90fe3f302 100644
--- a/packages/mui-material/src/styles/createTheme.test.js
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/styles/createTheme.test.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { createRenderer } from '@mui/internal-test-utils';
 import Button from '@mui/material/Button';
 import Box from '@mui/material/Box';
 import { ThemeProvider, createTheme, styled } from '@mui/material/styles';
-import { deepOrange, green } from '@mui/material/colors';
+import { deepOrange, green, grey } from '@mui/material/colors';
 import createPalette from './createPalette';
 
 const lightPalette = createPalette({ mode: 'light' });
@@ -56,6 +56,114 @@ describe('createTheme', () => {
     expect(theme.palette.secondary.main).to.equal(green.A400);
   });
 
+  it('should be customizable through `colorSchemes` node', () => {
+    const theme = createTheme({
+      colorSchemes: {
+        dark: {
+          palette: {
+            background: {
+              default: grey[900],
+            },
+          },
+        },
+        light: {
+          palette: {
+            background: {
+              default: grey[50],
+            },
+            bg: {
+              main: grey[800],
+              dark: grey[700],
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.dark.palette.background.default).to.equal(grey[900]);
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.light.palette.background.default).to.equal(grey[50]);
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.light.palette.bg.main).to.equal(grey[800]);
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.light.palette.bg.dark).to.equal(grey[700]);
+    expect(theme.palette.mode).to.equal('light');
+    expect(theme.palette.background.default).to.equal(grey[50]);
+  });
+
+  it('should be customizable through `colorSchemes` node with non-existing fields', () => {
+    const theme = createTheme({
+      colorSchemes: {
+        dark: {
+          opacity: {
+            disabled: 0.38,
+          },
+          palette: {
+            gradient: 'linear-gradient(90deg, #000000 0%, #ffffff 100%)',
+          },
+        },
+        light: {
+          opacity: {
+            disabled: 0.5,
+          },
+          palette: {
+            gradient: 'linear-gradient(90deg, #ffffff 0%, #000000 100%)',
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.dark.opacity.disabled).to.equal(0.38);
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.light.opacity.disabled).to.equal(0.5);
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.dark.palette.gradient).to.equal(
+      'linear-gradient(90deg, #000000 0%, #ffffff 100%)',
+    );
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.light.palette.gradient).to.equal(
+      'linear-gradient(90deg, #ffffff 0%, #000000 100%)',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should work with `palette` and `colorSchemes`', () => {
+    const theme = createTheme({
+      palette: {
+        primary: {
+          main: '#27272a',
+        },
+        background: {
+          default: '#f5f5f5',
+        },
+      },
+      colorSchemes: {
+        dark: true,
+      },
+    });
+    expect(theme.palette.primary.main).to.equal('#27272a');
+    expect(theme.palette.background.default).to.equal('#f5f5f5');
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.light.palette.primary.main).to.equal('#27272a');
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.light.palette.background.default).to.equal('#f5f5f5');
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.dark.palette.primary.main).to.equal(darkPalette.primary.main);
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.dark.palette.background.default).to.equal(
+      darkPalette.background.default,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should work with `palette` and a custom `colorSchemes.dark`', () => {
+    const theme = createTheme({
+      palette: {
+        background: {
+          default: '#f5f5f5',
+        },
+      },
+      colorSchemes: {
+        dark: {
+          palette: {
+            background: {
+              default: 'red',
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    expect(theme.palette.background.default).to.equal('#f5f5f5');
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.light.palette.background.default).to.equal('#f5f5f5');
+    expect(theme.colorSchemes.dark.palette.background.default).to.equal('red');
+  });
+
   describe('CSS variables', () => {
     it('should have default light with media selector if no `palette` and colorSchemes.dark is provided ', () => {
       const theme = createTheme({
diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/styles/createTheme.ts b/packages/mui-material/src/styles/createTheme.ts
index dd2b26c6fbad65..36e92f1082edaf 100644
--- a/packages/mui-material/src/styles/createTheme.ts
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/styles/createTheme.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ function attachColorScheme(
     theme.colorSchemes[scheme] = {
       ...(colorScheme !== true && colorScheme),
       palette: createPalette({
-        ...(colorScheme === true ? {} : colorScheme),
+        ...(colorScheme === true ? {} : colorScheme.palette),
         mode: scheme,
       } as any), // cast type to skip module augmentation test
     };
@@ -72,24 +72,46 @@ export default function createTheme(
   };
 
   if (cssVariables === false) {
-    const theme = createThemeNoVars(options as ThemeOptions, ...args) as unknown as Theme & {
+    if (!('colorSchemes' in options)) {
+      // Behaves exactly as v5
+      return createThemeNoVars(options as ThemeOptions, ...args);
+    }
+
+    let paletteOptions = palette;
+    if (!('palette' in options)) {
+      if (colorSchemesInput[defaultColorSchemeInput]) {
+        if (colorSchemesInput[defaultColorSchemeInput] !== true) {
+          paletteOptions = colorSchemesInput[defaultColorSchemeInput].palette;
+        } else if (defaultColorSchemeInput === 'dark') {
+          // @ts-ignore to prevent the module augmentation test from failing
+          paletteOptions = { mode: 'dark' };
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    const theme = createThemeNoVars(
+      { ...options, palette: paletteOptions } as ThemeOptions,
+      ...args,
+    ) as unknown as Theme & {
       defaultColorScheme?: 'light' | 'dark';
       colorSchemes?: Partial<Record<string, any>>;
     };
 
-    if (!('colorSchemes' in options)) {
-      return theme;
-    }
-
     theme.defaultColorScheme = defaultColorSchemeInput;
     theme.colorSchemes = colorSchemesInput as Record<string, ColorSystem>;
 
     if (theme.palette.mode === 'light') {
-      theme.colorSchemes.light = { palette: theme.palette } as ColorSystem;
+      theme.colorSchemes.light = {
+        ...(colorSchemesInput.light !== true && colorSchemesInput.light),
+        palette: theme.palette,
+      } as ColorSystem;
       attachColorScheme(theme, 'dark', colorSchemesInput.dark);
     }
     if (theme.palette.mode === 'dark') {
-      theme.colorSchemes.dark = { palette: theme.palette } as ColorSystem;
+      theme.colorSchemes.dark = {
+        ...(colorSchemesInput.dark !== true && colorSchemesInput.dark),
+        palette: theme.palette,
+      } as ColorSystem;
       attachColorScheme(theme, 'light', colorSchemesInput.light);
     }