diff --git a/src/v/kafka/protocol/tests/BUILD b/src/v/kafka/protocol/tests/BUILD
index c367f9f62b5ae..55e42bce5db15 100644
--- a/src/v/kafka/protocol/tests/BUILD
+++ b/src/v/kafka/protocol/tests/BUILD
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ redpanda_cc_btest(
         "field_parser_test.cc",
     ],
     deps = [
+        "//src/v/base",
         "//src/v/kafka/protocol",
         "//src/v/random:generators",
         "//src/v/test_utils:container_ostream",
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ redpanda_cc_btest(
         "//src/v/test_utils:seastar_boost",
         "//src/v/utils:base64",
         "@boost//:iterator",
+        "@fmt",
         "@seastar",
         "@seastar//:testing",
     ],
diff --git a/src/v/kafka/protocol/tests/field_parser_test.cc b/src/v/kafka/protocol/tests/field_parser_test.cc
index 091fb575328f4..f0b90aff7ef2f 100644
--- a/src/v/kafka/protocol/tests/field_parser_test.cc
+++ b/src/v/kafka/protocol/tests/field_parser_test.cc
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
  * by the Apache License, Version 2.0
  */
 
+#include "base/format_to.h"
 #include "kafka/protocol/types.h"
 #include "kafka/protocol/wire.h"
 #include "random/generators.h"
@@ -79,9 +80,8 @@ struct test_struct {
         return a.field_a == b.field_a && a.field_b == b.field_b;
     }
 
-    friend std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, const test_struct& ts) {
-        os << "field_a: " << ts.field_a << " field_b: " << ts.field_b;
-        return os;
+    fmt::iterator format_to(fmt::iterator it) const {
+        return fmt::format_to(it, "field_a: {} field_b: {}", field_a, field_b);
     }
 };
 
diff --git a/src/v/pandaproxy/parsing/test/BUILD b/src/v/pandaproxy/parsing/test/BUILD
index 06dedeca632ad..860197ceaf9ea 100644
--- a/src/v/pandaproxy/parsing/test/BUILD
+++ b/src/v/pandaproxy/parsing/test/BUILD
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ redpanda_cc_btest(
         "httpd.cc",
     ],
     deps = [
+        "//src/v/base",
         "//src/v/pandaproxy:json",
         "//src/v/pandaproxy:parsing",
         "//src/v/reflection:type_traits",
@@ -35,6 +36,7 @@ redpanda_cc_btest(
         "@boost//:test",
         "@boost//:tuple",
         "@boost//:utility",
+        "@fmt",
         "@seastar",
         "@seastar//:testing",
     ],
diff --git a/src/v/pandaproxy/parsing/test/httpd.cc b/src/v/pandaproxy/parsing/test/httpd.cc
index 0cff888d6ae47..5f6cb4321705c 100644
--- a/src/v/pandaproxy/parsing/test/httpd.cc
+++ b/src/v/pandaproxy/parsing/test/httpd.cc
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 
 #include "pandaproxy/parsing/httpd.h"
 
+#include "base/format_to.h"
 #include "pandaproxy/json/types.h"
 #include "test_utils/container_ostream.h" // IWYU pragma: keep
 
@@ -24,8 +25,8 @@ namespace pp = pandaproxy;
 namespace ppj = pp::json;
 
 namespace pandaproxy::json {
-std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, serialization_format fmt) {
-    return os << name(fmt);
+fmt::iterator format_to(serialization_format fmt, fmt::iterator it) {
+    return fmt::format_to(it, "{}", name(fmt));
 }
 } // namespace pandaproxy::json
 
diff --git a/src/v/test_utils/BUILD b/src/v/test_utils/BUILD
index 49f3a356f0132..682e8570e4dc2 100644
--- a/src/v/test_utils/BUILD
+++ b/src/v/test_utils/BUILD
@@ -185,6 +185,9 @@ redpanda_test_cc_library(
         "container_ostream.h",
     ],
     visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
+    deps = [
+        "@fmt",
+    ],
 )
 
 redpanda_test_cc_library(
diff --git a/src/v/test_utils/container_ostream.h b/src/v/test_utils/container_ostream.h
index 35c18d25f7acb..6af01e763646c 100644
--- a/src/v/test_utils/container_ostream.h
+++ b/src/v/test_utils/container_ostream.h
@@ -23,10 +23,15 @@
 /// rely on streaming containers, which is why the set is limited to those
 /// two types rather than every standard container.
 ///
-/// The overloads stream each element via operator<< so they work for any
-/// element type that has streaming, regardless of whether it has a fmt
-/// formatter.  Include this only in test translation units to avoid
-/// pulling a std-namespace overload into production code.
+/// The overloads delegate to fmt's range formatter, so the element type
+/// must be fmt-formattable (has a fmt::formatter specialization or a
+/// format_to method/free function).  Include this only in test
+/// translation units to avoid pulling a std-namespace overload into
+/// production code.
+
+#include <fmt/format.h>
+#include <fmt/ostream.h>
+#include <fmt/ranges.h>
 
 #include <ostream>
 #include <unordered_map>
@@ -37,32 +42,16 @@ namespace std {
 template<typename T, typename Alloc>
 // NOLINTNEXTLINE(cert-dcl58-cpp): test-only operator<< overload for std types
 ostream& operator<<(ostream& os, const vector<T, Alloc>& v) {
-    os << "{";
-    bool first = true;
-    for (const auto& e : v) {
-        if (!first) {
-            os << ", ";
-        }
-        first = false;
-        os << e;
-    }
-    return os << "}";
+    fmt::print(os, "{}", v);
+    return os;
 }
 
 template<typename K, typename V, typename Hash, typename Eq, typename Alloc>
 // NOLINTNEXTLINE(cert-dcl58-cpp): test-only operator<< overload for std types
 ostream&
 operator<<(ostream& os, const unordered_map<K, V, Hash, Eq, Alloc>& m) {
-    os << "{";
-    bool first = true;
-    for (const auto& [k, v] : m) {
-        if (!first) {
-            os << ", ";
-        }
-        first = false;
-        os << "{" << k << " -> " << v << "}";
-    }
-    return os << "}";
+    fmt::print(os, "{}", m);
+    return os;
 }
 
 } // namespace std
diff --git a/src/v/test_utils/tests/container_ostream_test.cc b/src/v/test_utils/tests/container_ostream_test.cc
index bbe405969836a..202152dda785d 100644
--- a/src/v/test_utils/tests/container_ostream_test.cc
+++ b/src/v/test_utils/tests/container_ostream_test.cc
@@ -25,40 +25,22 @@ std::string stream(const T& v) {
     return std::move(os).str();
 }
 
-} // namespace
-
-// An element type that has operator<< but no fmt formatter, to verify the
-// header does not require fmt-formattability.  Defined at file scope so the
-// streaming operator below can be a non-friend free function reachable via
-// ADL from the test below.
-struct only_stream {
-    int x;
-};
-inline std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, const only_stream& v) {
-    return os << "x=" << v.x;
-}
-
-namespace {
-
-TEST(ContainerOstream, ElementOnlyHasOperatorStream) {
-    EXPECT_EQ(stream(std::vector<only_stream>{{1}, {2}}), "{x=1, x=2}");
-}
-
 TEST(ContainerOstream, EmptyVector) {
-    EXPECT_EQ(stream(std::vector<int>{}), "{}");
+    EXPECT_EQ(stream(std::vector<int>{}), "[]");
 }
 
 TEST(ContainerOstream, VectorOfInts) {
-    EXPECT_EQ(stream(std::vector<int>{1, 2, 3}), "{1, 2, 3}");
+    EXPECT_EQ(stream(std::vector<int>{1, 2, 3}), "[1, 2, 3]");
 }
 
 TEST(ContainerOstream, VectorOfStrings) {
-    EXPECT_EQ(stream(std::vector<std::string>{"a", "b"}), "{a, b}");
+    // fmt's range formatter wraps strings in quotes by default.
+    EXPECT_EQ(stream(std::vector<std::string>{"a", "b"}), "[\"a\", \"b\"]");
 }
 
 TEST(ContainerOstream, NestedVector) {
     EXPECT_EQ(
-      stream(std::vector<std::vector<int>>{{1, 2}, {3}}), "{{1, 2}, {3}}");
+      stream(std::vector<std::vector<int>>{{1, 2}, {3}}), "[[1, 2], [3]]");
 }
 
 TEST(ContainerOstream, EmptyUnorderedMap) {
@@ -69,7 +51,7 @@ TEST(ContainerOstream, UnorderedMapSingleEntry) {
     // Unordered iteration order is implementation-defined; pin the test to
     // one entry so it stays deterministic.
     EXPECT_EQ(
-      stream(std::unordered_map<int, std::string>{{1, "one"}}), "{{1 -> one}}");
+      stream(std::unordered_map<int, std::string>{{1, "one"}}), "{1: \"one\"}");
 }
 
 TEST(ContainerOstream, GTestStreamingMessage) {
@@ -77,7 +59,7 @@ TEST(ContainerOstream, GTestStreamingMessage) {
     // container into a googletest assertion message.
     std::vector<int> v{42};
     testing::AssertionResult r = testing::AssertionFailure() << v;
-    EXPECT_EQ(std::string{r.message()}, "{42}");
+    EXPECT_EQ(std::string{r.message()}, "[42]");
 }
 
 } // namespace