diff --git a/scrapy/core/downloader/middleware.py b/scrapy/core/downloader/middleware.py
index 38608a429..9c0014206 100644
--- a/scrapy/core/downloader/middleware.py
+++ b/scrapy/core/downloader/middleware.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ from twisted.internet import defer
 from scrapy.exceptions import _InvalidOutput
 from scrapy.http import Request, Response
 from scrapy.middleware import MiddlewareManager
-from scrapy.utils.defer import mustbe_deferred
+from scrapy.utils.defer import mustbe_deferred, deferred_from_coro
 from scrapy.utils.conf import build_component_list
 
 
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ class DownloaderMiddlewareManager(MiddlewareManager):
         @defer.inlineCallbacks
         def process_request(request):
             for method in self.methods['process_request']:
-                response = yield method(request=request, spider=spider)
+                response = yield deferred_from_coro(method(request=request, spider=spider))
                 if response is not None and not isinstance(response, (Response, Request)):
                     raise _InvalidOutput('Middleware %s.process_request must return None, Response or Request, got %s' % \
                                          (method.__self__.__class__.__name__, response.__class__.__name__))
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class DownloaderMiddlewareManager(MiddlewareManager):
                 defer.returnValue(response)
 
             for method in self.methods['process_response']:
-                response = yield method(request=request, response=response, spider=spider)
+                response = yield deferred_from_coro(method(request=request, response=response, spider=spider))
                 if not isinstance(response, (Response, Request)):
                     raise _InvalidOutput('Middleware %s.process_response must return Response or Request, got %s' % \
                                          (method.__self__.__class__.__name__, type(response)))
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ class DownloaderMiddlewareManager(MiddlewareManager):
         def process_exception(_failure):
             exception = _failure.value
             for method in self.methods['process_exception']:
-                response = yield method(request=request, exception=exception, spider=spider)
+                response = yield deferred_from_coro(method(request=request, exception=exception, spider=spider))
                 if response is not None and not isinstance(response, (Response, Request)):
                     raise _InvalidOutput('Middleware %s.process_exception must return None, Response or Request, got %s' % \
                                          (method.__self__.__class__.__name__, type(response)))
diff --git a/tests/test_downloadermiddleware.py b/tests/test_downloadermiddleware.py
index 1b81ea949..135321d0a 100644
--- a/tests/test_downloadermiddleware.py
+++ b/tests/test_downloadermiddleware.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import asyncio
 from unittest import mock
 
 from twisted.internet.defer import Deferred
@@ -206,3 +207,26 @@ class MiddlewareUsingDeferreds(ManagerTestCase):
 
         self.assertIs(results[0], resp)
         self.assertFalse(download_func.called)
+
+
+class MiddlewareUsingCoro(ManagerTestCase):
+    """Middlewares using asyncio coroutines should work"""
+
+    def test_asyncdef(self):
+        resp = Response('http://example.com/index.html')
+
+        class CoroMiddleware:
+            async def process_request(self, request, spider):
+                await asyncio.sleep(0.1)
+                return resp
+
+        self.mwman._add_middleware(CoroMiddleware())
+        req = Request('http://example.com/index.html')
+        download_func = mock.MagicMock()
+        dfd = self.mwman.download(download_func, req, self.spider)
+        results = []
+        dfd.addBoth(results.append)
+        self._wait(dfd)
+
+        self.assertIs(results[0], resp)
+        self.assertFalse(download_func.called)