diff --git a/lib/jekyll/commands/new.rb b/lib/jekyll/commands/new.rb
index 8c5dd8f8..a3a850fe 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll/commands/new.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll/commands/new.rb
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ source "https://rubygems.org"
 #
 # This will help ensure the proper Jekyll version is running.
 # Happy Jekylling!
-gem "jekyll", "#{Jekyll::VERSION}"
+gem "jekyll", "~> #{Jekyll::VERSION}"
 
 # This is the default theme for new Jekyll sites. You may change this to anything you like.
 gem "minima", "~> 2.0"