diff --git a/app/sessionStore.js b/app/sessionStore.js
index c4d12030cba..ef854bf6fd0 100644
--- a/app/sessionStore.js
+++ b/app/sessionStore.js
@@ -36,20 +36,6 @@ const getSetting = require('../js/settings').getSetting
 const promisify = require('../js/lib/promisify')
 const sessionStorageName = `session-store-${sessionStorageVersion}`
 
-const getTopSiteMap = () => {
-  if (Array.isArray(topSites) && topSites.length) {
-    let siteMap = {}
-    let order = 0
-    topSites.forEach((site) => {
-      let key = siteUtil.getSiteKey(Immutable.fromJS(site))
-      site.order = order++
-      siteMap[key] = site
-    })
-    return siteMap
-  }
-  return {}
-}
-
 const getStoragePath = () => {
   return path.join(app.getPath('userData'), sessionStorageName)
 }
@@ -524,7 +510,7 @@ module.exports.defaultAppState = () => {
     sync: {
       lastFetchTimestamp: 0
     },
-    sites: getTopSiteMap(),
+    sites: {},
     tabs: [],
     windows: [],
     extensions: {},
diff --git a/js/data/newTabData.js b/js/data/newTabData.js
index 38fe8cfc7fc..a2f5234dfc1 100644
--- a/js/data/newTabData.js
+++ b/js/data/newTabData.js
@@ -80,3 +80,5 @@ module.exports.topSites = [
       "title": "Brave Browser: Fast AdBlock – Apps para Android no Google Play"
   }
 ]
+
+module.exports.topSiteLocations = module.exports.topSites.map((site) => site.location)
diff --git a/js/stores/appStore.js b/js/stores/appStore.js
index 4a51697c477..8767a6d9435 100644
--- a/js/stores/appStore.js
+++ b/js/stores/appStore.js
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ const Filtering = require('../../app/filtering')
 const basicAuth = require('../../app/browser/basicAuth')
 const webtorrent = require('../../app/browser/webtorrent')
 const windows = require('../../app/browser/windows')
+const { topSiteLocations } = require('../data/newTabData')
 const assert = require('assert')
 
 // state helpers
@@ -421,9 +422,20 @@ const handleAppAction = (action) => {
       appState = appState.set('passwords', new Immutable.List())
       break
     case appConstants.APP_CHANGE_NEW_TAB_DETAIL:
+      // If a site is pinned, add it to the sites if it isn't already there.
+      if (action.newTabPageDetail) {
+        let pinnedTopSites = action.newTabPageDetail.get('pinnedTopSites')
+        if (pinnedTopSites) {
+          pinnedTopSites.forEach((site) => {
+            if (site && topSiteLocations.includes(site.get('location'))) {
+              appState = appState.set('sites', siteUtil.addSite(appState.get('sites'), site))
+            }
+          })
+        }
+      }
       appState = aboutNewTabState.mergeDetails(appState, action)
       if (action.refresh) {
-        appState = aboutNewTabState.setSites(appState, action)
+        appState = aboutNewTabState.setSites(appState)
       }
       break
     case appConstants.APP_POPULATE_HISTORY: