diff --git a/src/cdk/menu/menu-bar.spec.ts b/src/cdk/menu/menu-bar.spec.ts
index 65d453664df1..3b47dbaa2978 100644
--- a/src/cdk/menu/menu-bar.spec.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/menu/menu-bar.spec.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import {ComponentFixture, fakeAsync, TestBed, tick, waitForAsync} from '@angular/core/testing';
+import {ComponentFixture, TestBed, waitForAsync} from '@angular/core/testing';
 import {
   Component,
   ElementRef,
@@ -149,15 +149,15 @@ describe('MenuBar', () => {
           expect(document.activeElement).toEqual(menuBarNativeItems[menuBarNativeItems.length - 1]);
         });
 
-        it('should focus the edit MenuItem on E, D character keys', fakeAsync(() => {
+        it('should focus the edit MenuItem on E, D character keys', async () => {
           focusMenuBar();
           dispatchKeyboardEvent(nativeMenuBar, 'keydown', E);
           dispatchKeyboardEvent(nativeMenuBar, 'keydown', D);
-          tick(500);
+          await wait(600);
           detectChanges();
 
           expect(document.activeElement).toEqual(menuBarNativeItems[1]);
-        }));
+        });
 
         it(
           'should toggle and wrap when cycling the right/left arrow keys on menu bar ' +
@@ -450,16 +450,16 @@ describe('MenuBar', () => {
           expect(nativeMenus.length).toBe(0);
         });
 
-        it('should focus share MenuItem on S, H character key press', fakeAsync(() => {
+        it('should focus share MenuItem on S, H character key press', async () => {
           openFileMenu();
 
           dispatchKeyboardEvent(nativeMenus[0], 'keydown', S);
           dispatchKeyboardEvent(nativeMenus[0], 'keydown', H);
-          tick(500);
+          await wait(600);
           detectChanges();
 
           expect(document.activeElement).toEqual(fileMenuNativeItems[1]);
-        }));
+        });
 
         it('should handle keyboard actions if initial menu is opened programmatically', () => {
           fixture.debugElement
@@ -1062,6 +1062,10 @@ describe('MenuBar', () => {
   });
 });
 
+function wait(milliseconds: number) {
+  return new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, milliseconds));
+}
+
 @Component({
   template: `
     <ul cdkMenuBar>
diff --git a/src/cdk/menu/menu-trigger.spec.ts b/src/cdk/menu/menu-trigger.spec.ts
index 97cf33e795c3..4c249a9787df 100644
--- a/src/cdk/menu/menu-trigger.spec.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/menu/menu-trigger.spec.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import {
   ViewChildren,
   ChangeDetectionStrategy,
 } from '@angular/core';
-import {ComponentFixture, TestBed, fakeAsync, tick} from '@angular/core/testing';
+import {ComponentFixture, TestBed} from '@angular/core/testing';
 import {By} from '@angular/platform-browser';
 import {dispatchKeyboardEvent} from '../../cdk/testing/private';
 import {CdkMenu} from './menu';
@@ -522,20 +522,19 @@ describe('MenuTrigger', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  it('should focus the first item when opening on click', fakeAsync(() => {
+  it('should focus the first item when opening on click', () => {
     const fixture = TestBed.createComponent(TriggersWithSameMenuDifferentMenuBars);
     fixture.detectChanges();
 
     fixture.componentInstance.nativeTriggers.first.nativeElement.click();
     fixture.detectChanges();
-    tick();
 
     const firstItem =
       fixture.componentInstance.nativeMenus.first.nativeElement.querySelector('.cdk-menu-item');
 
     expect(firstItem).toBeTruthy();
     expect(document.activeElement).toBe(firstItem);
-  }));
+  });
 });
 
 @Component({
diff --git a/src/cdk/menu/menu.spec.ts b/src/cdk/menu/menu.spec.ts
index 4155fee591d2..8bfd26e24c95 100644
--- a/src/cdk/menu/menu.spec.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/menu/menu.spec.ts
@@ -7,14 +7,7 @@ import {
   ViewChildren,
   ChangeDetectionStrategy,
 } from '@angular/core';
-import {
-  ComponentFixture,
-  TestBed,
-  fakeAsync,
-  flush,
-  tick,
-  waitForAsync,
-} from '@angular/core/testing';
+import {ComponentFixture, TestBed, waitForAsync} from '@angular/core/testing';
 import {By} from '@angular/platform-browser';
 import {
   createMouseEvent,
@@ -87,6 +80,12 @@ describe('Menu', () => {
   });
 
   describe('menu aim', () => {
+    // TODO(crisbeto): update the component to clear timeouts on destroy.
+    // Give some time for timeouts to be cleaned up.
+    afterEach(async () => {
+      await wait(350);
+    });
+
     /** A coordinate in the browser window */
     type Point = {x: number; y: number};
 
@@ -189,13 +188,13 @@ describe('Menu', () => {
        *
        * @return the number of elements the mouse entered into.
        */
-      function hover(from: Point, to: Point, inMenu: HTMLElement, duration: number) {
+      async function hover(from: Point, to: Point, inMenu: HTMLElement, duration: number) {
         const getNextPoint = getNextPointIterator(from, to);
 
         let currentPoint: Point | null = from;
         let currElement = getElementAt(currentPoint);
 
-        const timeout = duration / (to.x - from.x);
+        const timeout = duration / Math.abs(to.x - from.x);
 
         let numEnters = 0;
         while (currentPoint) {
@@ -209,7 +208,9 @@ describe('Menu', () => {
             fixture.detectChanges();
           }
           currentPoint = getNextPoint();
-          tick(timeout);
+          if (timeout > 0) {
+            await wait(timeout);
+          }
         }
         return numEnters;
       }
@@ -231,31 +232,31 @@ describe('Menu', () => {
         };
       }
 
-      it('should close the edit menu when hovering directly down from the edit menu trigger to the print item without waiting', fakeAsync(() => {
+      it('should close the edit menu when hovering directly down from the edit menu trigger to the print item without waiting', async () => {
         openFileMenu();
         openMenuOnHover(nativeEditTrigger!);
         const editPosition = nativeEditTrigger!.getBoundingClientRect();
         const printPosition = nativeFileButtons![4].getBoundingClientRect();
 
-        const numEnterEvents = hover(
+        const numEnterEvents = await hover(
           {x: editPosition.x, y: editPosition.y + 1},
           {x: printPosition.x + 5, y: printPosition.y + 1},
           nativeMenus[0],
-          100,
+          0,
         );
         detectChanges();
 
         expect(numEnterEvents).toBe(4);
         expect(nativeMenus.length).toBe(1);
-      }));
+      });
 
-      it('should close the edit menu after moving towards submenu and stopping', fakeAsync(() => {
+      it('should close the edit menu after moving towards submenu and stopping', async () => {
         openFileMenu();
         openMenuOnHover(nativeEditTrigger!);
         const editPosition = nativeEditTrigger!.getBoundingClientRect();
         const sharePosition = nativeShareTrigger!.getBoundingClientRect();
 
-        const numEnters = hover(
+        const numEnters = await hover(
           {
             x: editPosition.x + editPosition.width / 2,
             y: editPosition.y + editPosition.height - 10,
@@ -265,44 +266,43 @@ describe('Menu', () => {
             y: sharePosition.y + sharePosition.height - 10,
           },
           nativeMenus[0],
-          100,
+          0,
         );
-        tick(2000);
+        await wait(2100);
         detectChanges();
 
         expect(numEnters).toBe(1);
         expect(nativeMenus.length).toBe(2);
         expect(nativeMenus[1].id).toBe('share_menu');
-      }));
+      });
 
-      it('should not close the edit submenu when hovering into its items in time', fakeAsync(() => {
+      it('should not close the edit submenu when hovering into its items in time', async () => {
         openFileMenu();
         openMenuOnHover(nativeEditTrigger!);
         const editPosition = nativeEditTrigger!.getBoundingClientRect();
         const pastePosition = nativeEditButtons![4].getBoundingClientRect();
 
-        const numEnters = hover(editPosition, pastePosition, nativeMenus[0], 100);
+        const numEnters = await hover(editPosition, pastePosition, nativeMenus[0], 0);
         detectChanges();
-        flush();
+        await fixture.whenStable();
 
         expect(numEnters).toBeGreaterThan(2);
         expect(nativeMenus.length).toBe(2);
         expect(nativeMenus[1].id).toBe('edit_menu');
-      }));
+      });
 
-      it('should close the edit menu when hovering into its items slowly', fakeAsync(() => {
+      it('should close the edit menu when hovering into its items slowly', async () => {
         openFileMenu();
         openMenuOnHover(nativeEditTrigger!);
         const editPosition = nativeEditTrigger!.getBoundingClientRect();
         const pastePosition = nativeEditButtons![4].getBoundingClientRect();
 
-        const numEnters = hover(editPosition, pastePosition, nativeMenus[0], 4000);
+        const numEnters = await hover(editPosition, pastePosition, nativeMenus[0], 1100);
         detectChanges();
-        flush();
 
         expect(numEnters).toBeGreaterThan(2);
         expect(nativeMenus.length).toBe(1);
-      }));
+      });
     });
 
     describe('with rtl layout and menu at bottom of page moving up and left', () => {
@@ -383,13 +383,13 @@ describe('Menu', () => {
        *
        * @return the number of elements the mouse entered into.
        */
-      function hover(from: Point, to: Point, inMenu: HTMLElement, duration: number) {
+      async function hover(from: Point, to: Point, inMenu: HTMLElement, duration: number) {
         const getNextPoint = getNextPointIterator(from, to);
 
         let currPoint: Point | null = from;
         let currElement = getElementAt(currPoint);
 
-        const timeout = duration / (to.x - from.x);
+        const timeout = duration / Math.abs(to.x - from.x);
 
         let numEnters = 0;
         while (currPoint) {
@@ -403,7 +403,9 @@ describe('Menu', () => {
             fixture.detectChanges();
           }
           currPoint = getNextPoint();
-          tick(timeout);
+          if (timeout) {
+            await wait(timeout);
+          }
         }
         return numEnters;
       }
@@ -425,66 +427,63 @@ describe('Menu', () => {
         };
       }
 
-      it('should close the edit menu when hovering directly up from the edit menu trigger to the print item without waiting', fakeAsync(() => {
+      it('should close the edit menu when hovering directly up from the edit menu trigger to the print item without waiting', async () => {
         openFileMenu();
         openMenuOnHover(nativeEditTrigger!);
-        tick();
 
         const editPosition = nativeEditTrigger!.getBoundingClientRect();
         const printPosition = nativeFileButtons![0].getBoundingClientRect();
 
-        const numEnterEvents = hover(
+        const numEnterEvents = await hover(
           {x: editPosition.x + editPosition.width / 2, y: editPosition.y + 5},
           {x: printPosition.x + 10, y: printPosition.y - 10},
           nativeMenus[0],
-          100,
+          0,
         );
         detectChanges();
-        flush();
 
         expect(numEnterEvents).toBe(4);
         expect(nativeMenus.length).toBe(1);
-      }));
+      });
 
-      it('should close the edit menu after moving towards submenu and stopping', fakeAsync(() => {
+      it('should close the edit menu after moving towards submenu and stopping', async () => {
         openFileMenu();
         openMenuOnHover(nativeEditTrigger!);
         const editPosition = nativeEditTrigger!.getBoundingClientRect();
         const sharePosition = nativeShareTrigger!.getBoundingClientRect();
 
-        const numEnters = hover(
+        const numEnters = await hover(
           {x: editPosition.x + editPosition.width / 2, y: editPosition.y + 5},
           {
             x: sharePosition.x + 10,
             y: sharePosition.y + 10,
           },
           nativeMenus[0],
-          100,
+          0,
         );
-        tick(2000);
+        await wait(2100);
         detectChanges();
 
         expect(numEnters).toBe(1);
         expect(nativeMenus.length).toBe(2);
         expect(nativeMenus[1].id).toBe('share_menu');
-      }));
+      });
 
-      it('should not close the edit submenu when hovering into its items in time', fakeAsync(() => {
+      it('should not close the edit submenu when hovering into its items in time', async () => {
         openFileMenu();
         openMenuOnHover(nativeEditTrigger!);
-        tick();
 
         const editPosition = nativeEditTrigger!.getBoundingClientRect();
         const undoPosition = nativeEditButtons![0].getBoundingClientRect();
 
-        const numEnters = hover(editPosition, undoPosition, nativeMenus[0], 100);
+        const numEnters = await hover(editPosition, undoPosition, nativeMenus[0], 0);
         detectChanges();
-        flush();
+        await fixture.whenStable();
 
         expect(numEnters).toBeGreaterThan(2);
         expect(nativeMenus.length).toBe(2);
         expect(nativeMenus[1].id).toBe('edit_menu');
-      }));
+      });
     });
   });
 
@@ -518,6 +517,10 @@ describe('Menu', () => {
   });
 });
 
+function wait(milliseconds: number) {
+  return new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, milliseconds));
+}
+
 @Component({
   template: `
     <div cdkMenuBar>