diff --git a/packages/mdc-menu/index.js b/packages/mdc-menu/index.js
index b8e4ef33b45..e21b8910013 100644
--- a/packages/mdc-menu/index.js
+++ b/packages/mdc-menu/index.js
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ class MDCMenu extends MDCComponent {
   initialSyncWithDOM() {
     this.afterOpenedCallback_ = () => this.handleAfterOpened_();
     this.handleKeydown_ = (evt) => this.foundation_.handleKeydown(evt);
-    this.handleItemAction_ = (evt) => this.foundation_.handleItemAction(this.items[evt.detail]);
+    this.handleItemAction_ = (evt) => this.foundation_.handleItemAction(this.items[evt.detail.index]);
 
     this.menuSurface_.listen(MDCMenuSurfaceFoundation.strings.OPENED_EVENT, this.afterOpenedCallback_);
     this.listen('keydown', this.handleKeydown_);
diff --git a/test/unit/mdc-menu/mdc-menu.test.js b/test/unit/mdc-menu/mdc-menu.test.js
index 6ba2f02872b..e061ff6be27 100644
--- a/test/unit/mdc-menu/mdc-menu.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/mdc-menu/mdc-menu.test.js
@@ -75,6 +75,16 @@ class FakeMenuSurface {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * @param {boolean=} open
+ * @return {{
+ *   component: !MDCMenu,
+ *   menuSurface: !MDCMenuSurface,
+ *   root: !HTMLElement,
+ *   list: !MDCList,
+ *   mockFoundation: !MDCMenuFoundation
+ * }}
+ */
 function setupTestWithFakes(open = false) {
   const root = getFixture(open);
 
@@ -89,6 +99,10 @@ function setupTestWithFakes(open = false) {
   return {root, component, menuSurface, list, mockFoundation};
 }
 
+/**
+ * @param {boolean=} open
+ * @return {{component: !MDCMenu, root: !HTMLElement}}
+ */
 function setupTest(open = false) {
   const root = getFixture(open);
 
@@ -121,7 +135,7 @@ test('attachTo initializes and returns a MDCMenu instance', () => {
 
 test('initialize registers event listener for list item action', () => {
   const {mockFoundation, root} = setupTestWithFakes();
-  domEvents.emit(root, MDCListFoundation.strings.ACTION_EVENT, {detail: 0});
+  domEvents.emit(root, MDCListFoundation.strings.ACTION_EVENT, {detail: {index: 0}});
   td.verify(mockFoundation.handleItemAction(td.matchers.isA(Element)), {times: 1});
 });
 
@@ -135,7 +149,7 @@ test('destroy deregisters event listener for click', () => {
   const {component, mockFoundation, root} = setupTestWithFakes();
   component.destroy();
 
-  domEvents.emit(root, MDCListFoundation.strings.ACTION_EVENT, {detail: 0});
+  domEvents.emit(root, MDCListFoundation.strings.ACTION_EVENT, {detail: {index: 0}});
   td.verify(mockFoundation.handleItemAction(td.matchers.isA(Element)), {times: 0});
 });
 
@@ -276,6 +290,20 @@ test('menu surface opened event causes no element to be focused if the list is e
   document.body.removeChild(root);
 });
 
+test('list item enter keydown emits a menu action event', () => {
+  const {root, component} = setupTest();
+  const fakeEnterKeyEvent = {key: 'Enter', target: {tagName: 'div'}, preventDefault: () => undefined};
+
+  let detail = undefined;
+  component.listen(MDCMenuFoundation.strings.SELECTED_EVENT, (evt) => detail = evt.detail);
+
+  document.body.appendChild(root);
+  component.list_.foundation_.handleKeydown(fakeEnterKeyEvent, /* isRootListItem */ true, /* listItemIndex */ 0);
+  document.body.removeChild(root);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(detail, {index: 0, item: component.items[0]});
+});
+
 test('open=true does not throw an error if there are no items in the list to focus', () => {
   const {component, root, list} = setupTestWithFakes();
   list.listElements = [];