diff --git a/xonsh/pygments_cache.py b/xonsh/pygments_cache.py
index 8fcbaed5b..144ff2500 100644
--- a/xonsh/pygments_cache.py
+++ b/xonsh/pygments_cache.py
@@ -298,9 +298,11 @@ def load_or_build():
     else:
         import sys
 
-        print("pygments cache not found, building...", file=sys.stderr)
+        if DEBUG:
+            print("pygments cache not found, building...", file=sys.stderr)
         CACHE = build_cache()
-        print("...writing cache to " + fname, file=sys.stderr)
+        if DEBUG:
+            print("...writing cache to " + fname, file=sys.stderr)
         write_cache(fname)