diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 5a7d6359c..d401471cb 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -4,10 +4,16 @@ go 1.12
 
 require (
 	github.com/DataDog/zstd v1.4.0 // indirect
+	github.com/Masterminds/goutils v1.1.0 // indirect
+	github.com/Masterminds/semver v1.4.2 // indirect
+	github.com/Masterminds/sprig v2.20.0+incompatible // indirect
 	github.com/andybalholm/brotli v0.0.0-20190430215306-5c318f9037cb
 	github.com/dustin/go-humanize v1.0.0
 	github.com/go-acme/lego v2.6.0+incompatible
 	github.com/google/go-cmp v0.3.0 // indirect
+	github.com/google/uuid v1.1.1 // indirect
+	github.com/huandu/xstrings v1.2.0 // indirect
+	github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.7 // indirect
 	github.com/klauspost/compress v1.7.1-0.20190613161414-0b31f265a57b
 	github.com/klauspost/cpuid v1.2.1
 	github.com/mholt/certmagic v0.6.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index fbd3bb648..83f941930 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 github.com/DataDog/zstd v1.4.0 h1:vhoV+DUHnRZdKW1i5UMjAk2G4JY8wN4ayRfYDNdEhwo=
 github.com/DataDog/zstd v1.4.0/go.mod h1:1jcaCB/ufaK+sKp1NBhlGmpz41jOoPQ35bpF36t7BBo=
+github.com/Masterminds/goutils v1.1.0 h1:zukEsf/1JZwCMgHiK3GZftabmxiCw4apj3a28RPBiVg=
+github.com/Masterminds/goutils v1.1.0/go.mod h1:8cTjp+g8YejhMuvIA5y2vz3BpJxksy863GQaJW2MFNU=
+github.com/Masterminds/semver v1.4.2 h1:WBLTQ37jOCzSLtXNdoo8bNM8876KhNqOKvrlGITgsTc=
+github.com/Masterminds/semver v1.4.2/go.mod h1:MB6lktGJrhw8PrUyiEoblNEGEQ+RzHPF078ddwwvV3Y=
+github.com/Masterminds/sprig v2.20.0+incompatible h1:dJTKKuUkYW3RMFdQFXPU/s6hg10RgctmTjRcbZ98Ap8=
+github.com/Masterminds/sprig v2.20.0+incompatible/go.mod h1:y6hNFY5UBTIWBxnzTeuNhlNS5hqE0NB0E6fgfo2Br3o=
 github.com/andybalholm/brotli v0.0.0-20190430215306-5c318f9037cb h1:Qs8/an94NFS1x2nn7rSI+skKFuw/EGfEYAGS3w/p+jc=
 github.com/andybalholm/brotli v0.0.0-20190430215306-5c318f9037cb/go.mod h1:+lx6/Aqd1kLJ1GQfkvOnaZ1WGmLpMpbprPuIOOZX30U=
 github.com/cenkalti/backoff v2.1.1+incompatible h1:tKJnvO2kl0zmb/jA5UKAt4VoEVw1qxKWjE/Bpp46npY=
@@ -15,6 +21,12 @@ github.com/golang/gddo v0.0.0-20190419222130-af0f2af80721 h1:KRMr9A3qfbVM7iV/WcL
 github.com/golang/gddo v0.0.0-20190419222130-af0f2af80721/go.mod h1:xEhNfoBDX1hzLm2Nf80qUvZ2sVwoMZ8d6IE2SrsQfh4=
 github.com/google/go-cmp v0.3.0 h1:crn/baboCvb5fXaQ0IJ1SGTsTVrWpDsCWC8EGETZijY=
 github.com/google/go-cmp v0.3.0/go.mod h1:8QqcDgzrUqlUb/G2PQTWiueGozuR1884gddMywk6iLU=
+github.com/google/uuid v1.1.1 h1:Gkbcsh/GbpXz7lPftLA3P6TYMwjCLYm83jiFQZF/3gY=
+github.com/google/uuid v1.1.1/go.mod h1:TIyPZe4MgqvfeYDBFedMoGGpEw/LqOeaOT+nhxU+yHo=
+github.com/huandu/xstrings v1.2.0 h1:yPeWdRnmynF7p+lLYz0H2tthW9lqhMJrQV/U7yy4wX0=
+github.com/huandu/xstrings v1.2.0/go.mod h1:DvyZB1rfVYsBIigL8HwpZgxHwXozlTgGqn63UyNX5k4=
+github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.7 h1:Y+UAYTZ7gDEuOfhxKWy+dvb5dRQ6rJjFSdX2HZY1/gI=
+github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.7/go.mod h1:2EnlNZ0deacrJVfApfmtdGgDfMuh/nq6Ok1EcJh5FfA=
 github.com/klauspost/compress v1.7.1-0.20190613161414-0b31f265a57b h1:LHpBANNM/cw1PAXJtKV9dgfp6ztOKfdGXcltGmqU9aE=
 github.com/klauspost/compress v1.7.1-0.20190613161414-0b31f265a57b/go.mod h1:RyIbtBH6LamlWaDj8nUwkbUhJ87Yi3uG0guNDohfE1A=
 github.com/klauspost/cpuid v1.2.0/go.mod h1:Pj4uuM528wm8OyEC2QMXAi2YiTZ96dNQPGgoMS4s3ek=
diff --git a/modules/caddyhttp/templates/templates.go b/modules/caddyhttp/templates/templates.go
index 56c3b6626..a0fb87f2a 100644
--- a/modules/caddyhttp/templates/templates.go
+++ b/modules/caddyhttp/templates/templates.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"strconv"
-	"text/template"
 
 	"github.com/caddyserver/caddy"
 	"github.com/caddyserver/caddy/modules/caddyhttp"
@@ -67,29 +66,19 @@ func (t *Templates) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, next caddy
 // executeTemplate executes the template contianed
 // in wb.buf and replaces it with the results.
 func (t *Templates) executeTemplate(wb *responseBuffer, r *http.Request) error {
-	tpl := template.New(r.URL.Path)
-
-	if len(t.Delimiters) == 2 {
-		tpl.Delims(t.Delimiters[0], t.Delimiters[1])
-	}
-
-	parsedTpl, err := tpl.Parse(wb.buf.String())
-	if err != nil {
-		return caddyhttp.Error(http.StatusInternalServerError, err)
-	}
-
 	var fs http.FileSystem
 	if t.FileRoot != "" {
 		fs = http.Dir(t.FileRoot)
 	}
+
 	ctx := &templateContext{
 		Root:       fs,
 		Req:        r,
 		RespHeader: tplWrappedHeader{wb.Header()},
+		config:     t,
 	}
 
-	wb.buf.Reset() // reuse buffer for output
-	err = parsedTpl.Execute(wb.buf, ctx)
+	err := ctx.executeTemplateInBuffer(r.URL.Path, wb.buf)
 	if err != nil {
 		return caddyhttp.Error(http.StatusInternalServerError, err)
 	}
diff --git a/modules/caddyhttp/templates/tplcontext.go b/modules/caddyhttp/templates/tplcontext.go
index 7123c42d7..31ef666f6 100644
--- a/modules/caddyhttp/templates/tplcontext.go
+++ b/modules/caddyhttp/templates/tplcontext.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 
 	"os"
 
+	"github.com/Masterminds/sprig"
 	"github.com/caddyserver/caddy/modules/caddyhttp"
 	"gopkg.in/russross/blackfriday.v2"
 )
@@ -27,7 +28,8 @@ type templateContext struct {
 	Req        *http.Request
 	Args       []interface{} // defined by arguments to .Include
 	RespHeader tplWrappedHeader
-	server     http.Handler
+
+	config *Templates
 }
 
 // Include returns the contents of filename relative to the site root.
@@ -53,7 +55,12 @@ func (c templateContext) Include(filename string, args ...interface{}) (string,
 
 	c.Args = args
 
-	return c.executeTemplate(filename, bodyBuf.Bytes())
+	err = c.executeTemplateInBuffer(filename, bodyBuf)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	return bodyBuf.String(), nil
 }
 
 // HTTPInclude returns the body of a virtual (lightweight) request
@@ -81,20 +88,7 @@ func (c templateContext) HTTPInclude(uri string) (string, error) {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("http %d", vrw.status)
 	}
 
-	return c.executeTemplate(uri, buf.Bytes())
-}
-
-func (c templateContext) executeTemplate(tplName string, body []byte) (string, error) {
-	tpl, err := template.New(tplName).Parse(string(body))
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
-	buf := bufPool.Get().(*bytes.Buffer)
-	buf.Reset()
-	defer bufPool.Put(buf)
-
-	err = tpl.Execute(buf, c)
+	err = c.executeTemplateInBuffer(uri, buf)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
@@ -102,6 +96,22 @@ func (c templateContext) executeTemplate(tplName string, body []byte) (string, e
 	return buf.String(), nil
 }
 
+func (c templateContext) executeTemplateInBuffer(tplName string, buf *bytes.Buffer) error {
+	tpl := template.New(tplName).Funcs(sprig.TxtFuncMap())
+	if len(c.config.Delimiters) == 2 {
+		tpl.Delims(c.config.Delimiters[0], c.config.Delimiters[1])
+	}
+
+	parsedTpl, err := tpl.Parse(buf.String())
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	buf.Reset() // reuse buffer for output
+
+	return parsedTpl.Execute(buf, c)
+}
+
 // Now returns the current timestamp.
 func (c templateContext) Now() time.Time {
 	return time.Now()