diff --git a/IPython/html/services/kernelspecs/handlers.py b/IPython/html/services/kernelspecs/handlers.py
index 3aeb5545f..975cd5d9f 100644
--- a/IPython/html/services/kernelspecs/handlers.py
+++ b/IPython/html/services/kernelspecs/handlers.py
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@ class MainKernelSpecHandler(IPythonHandler):
         ksm = self.kernel_spec_manager
         results = []
         for kernel_name in ksm.find_kernel_specs():
-            results.append(dict(name=kernel_name,
-                display_name=ksm.get_kernel_spec(kernel_name).display_name))
+            d = ksm.get_kernel_spec(kernel_name).to_dict()
+            d['name'] = kernel_name
+            results.append(d)
 
         self.set_header("Content-Type", 'application/json')
         self.finish(jsonapi.dumps(results))
diff --git a/IPython/html/services/kernelspecs/tests/test_kernelspecs_api.py b/IPython/html/services/kernelspecs/tests/test_kernelspecs_api.py
index 90224151f..ad2a5fbdb 100644
--- a/IPython/html/services/kernelspecs/tests/test_kernelspecs_api.py
+++ b/IPython/html/services/kernelspecs/tests/test_kernelspecs_api.py
@@ -68,11 +68,14 @@ class APITest(NotebookTestBase):
     def test_list_kernelspecs(self):
         specs = self.ks_api.list().json()
         assert isinstance(specs, list)
-        
+
         # 2: the sample kernelspec created in setUp, and the native Python kernel
         self.assertEqual(len(specs), 2)
-        assert any(s == {'name': 'sample', 'display_name': 'Test kernel'}
-                    for s in specs), specs
+
+        def is_sample_kernelspec(s):
+            return s['name'] == 'sample' and s['display_name'] == 'Test kernel'
+
+        assert any(is_sample_kernelspec(s) for s in specs), specs
 
     def test_get_kernelspec(self):
         spec = self.ks_api.kernel_spec_info('Sample').json()  # Case insensitive