diff --git a/app/scripts/metamask-controller.actions.test.js b/app/scripts/metamask-controller.actions.test.js
index 5e7c771a1a6b..397648c371da 100644
--- a/app/scripts/metamask-controller.actions.test.js
+++ b/app/scripts/metamask-controller.actions.test.js
@@ -145,27 +145,21 @@ describe('MetaMaskController', function () {
         metamaskController.addNewAccount(1),
         metamaskController.addNewAccount(1),
       ]);
-      assert.deepEqual(
-        Object.keys(addNewAccountResult1.identities),
-        Object.keys(addNewAccountResult2.identities),
-      );
+      assert.equal(addNewAccountResult1, addNewAccountResult2);
     });
 
     it('two successive calls with same accountCount give same result', async function () {
       await metamaskController.createNewVaultAndKeychain('test@123');
       const addNewAccountResult1 = await metamaskController.addNewAccount(1);
       const addNewAccountResult2 = await metamaskController.addNewAccount(1);
-      assert.deepEqual(
-        Object.keys(addNewAccountResult1.identities),
-        Object.keys(addNewAccountResult2.identities),
-      );
+      assert.equal(addNewAccountResult1, addNewAccountResult2);
     });
 
     it('two successive calls with different accountCount give different results', async function () {
       await metamaskController.createNewVaultAndKeychain('test@123');
       const addNewAccountResult1 = await metamaskController.addNewAccount(1);
       const addNewAccountResult2 = await metamaskController.addNewAccount(2);
-      assert.notDeepEqual(addNewAccountResult1, addNewAccountResult2);
+      assert.notEqual(addNewAccountResult1, addNewAccountResult2);
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/app/scripts/metamask-controller.js b/app/scripts/metamask-controller.js
index fa120200fc2a..366556d359e8 100644
--- a/app/scripts/metamask-controller.js
+++ b/app/scripts/metamask-controller.js
@@ -2943,12 +2943,10 @@ export default class MetamaskController extends EventEmitter {
 
       // seek out the first zero balance
       while (lastBalance !== '0x0') {
-        await this.coreKeyringController.addNewAccount(accounts.length);
+        const { addedAccountAddress } =
+          await this.coreKeyringController.addNewAccount(accounts.length);
         accounts = await this.coreKeyringController.getAccounts();
-        lastBalance = await this.getBalance(
-          accounts[accounts.length - 1],
-          ethQuery,
-        );
+        lastBalance = await this.getBalance(addedAccountAddress, ethQuery);
       }
 
       // remove extra zero balance account potentially created from seeking ahead
@@ -3394,7 +3392,7 @@ export default class MetamaskController extends EventEmitter {
    * Adds a new account to the default (first) HD seed phrase Keyring.
    *
    * @param accountCount
-   * @returns {} keyState
+   * @returns {Promise<string>} The address of the newly-created account.
    */
   async addNewAccount(accountCount) {
     const isActionMetricsQueueE2ETest =
@@ -3404,38 +3402,16 @@ export default class MetamaskController extends EventEmitter {
       await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 5_000));
     }
 
-    const [primaryKeyring] = this.coreKeyringController.getKeyringsByType(
-      KeyringType.hdKeyTree,
-    );
-    if (!primaryKeyring) {
-      throw new Error('MetamaskController - No HD Key Tree found');
-    }
-    const { keyringController } = this;
-    const { identities: oldIdentities } =
-      this.preferencesController.store.getState();
-
-    if (Object.keys(oldIdentities).length === accountCount) {
-      const oldAccounts = await keyringController.getAccounts();
-      const keyState = await keyringController.addNewAccount(primaryKeyring);
-      const newAccounts = await keyringController.getAccounts();
+    const oldAccounts = await this.coreKeyringController.getAccounts();
 
-      await this.verifySeedPhrase();
+    const { addedAccountAddress } =
+      await this.coreKeyringController.addNewAccount(accountCount);
 
-      this.preferencesController.setAddresses(newAccounts);
-      newAccounts.forEach((address) => {
-        if (!oldAccounts.includes(address)) {
-          this.preferencesController.setSelectedAddress(address);
-        }
-      });
-
-      const { identities } = this.preferencesController.store.getState();
-      return { ...keyState, identities };
+    if (!oldAccounts.includes(addedAccountAddress)) {
+      this.preferencesController.setSelectedAddress(addedAccountAddress);
     }
 
-    return {
-      ...keyringController.memStore.getState(),
-      identities: oldIdentities,
-    };
+    return addedAccountAddress;
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/app/scripts/metamask-controller.test.js b/app/scripts/metamask-controller.test.js
index b11e34372ffb..f2c3fa6adeeb 100644
--- a/app/scripts/metamask-controller.test.js
+++ b/app/scripts/metamask-controller.test.js
@@ -737,7 +737,7 @@ describe('MetaMaskController', function () {
           metamaskController.keyringController,
           'addNewAccount',
         );
-        addNewAccountStub.returns({});
+        addNewAccountStub.returns('0x123');
 
         getAccountsStub = sinon.stub(
           metamaskController.keyringController,
@@ -818,7 +818,7 @@ describe('MetaMaskController', function () {
           await addNewAccount;
           assert.fail('should throw');
         } catch (e) {
-          assert.equal(e.message, 'MetamaskController - No HD Key Tree found');
+          assert.equal(e.message, 'No HD keyring found');
         }
       });
     });
diff --git a/ui/store/actions.test.js b/ui/store/actions.test.js
index 933ec6ce2c91..359e2a349b03 100644
--- a/ui/store/actions.test.js
+++ b/ui/store/actions.test.js
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ describe('Actions', () => {
 
       const addNewAccount = background.addNewAccount.callsFake((_, cb) =>
         cb(null, {
-          identities: {},
+          addedAccountAddress: '0x123',
         }),
       );
 
diff --git a/ui/store/actions.ts b/ui/store/actions.ts
index 6d92e5b1b246..00e94aa71a27 100644
--- a/ui/store/actions.ts
+++ b/ui/store/actions.ts
@@ -432,12 +432,11 @@ export function addNewAccount(): ThunkAction<
     const oldIdentities = getState().metamask.identities;
     dispatch(showLoadingIndication());
 
-    let newIdentities;
+    let addedAccountAddress;
     try {
-      const { identities } = await submitRequestToBackground('addNewAccount', [
+      addedAccountAddress = await submitRequestToBackground('addNewAccount', [
         Object.keys(oldIdentities).length,
       ]);
-      newIdentities = identities;
     } catch (error) {
       dispatch(displayWarning(error));
       throw error;
@@ -445,11 +444,8 @@ export function addNewAccount(): ThunkAction<
       dispatch(hideLoadingIndication());
     }
 
-    const newAccountAddress = Object.keys(newIdentities).find(
-      (address) => !oldIdentities[address],
-    );
     await forceUpdateMetamaskState(dispatch);
-    return newAccountAddress;
+    return addedAccountAddress;
   };
 }