diff --git a/conda_build/build.py b/conda_build/build.py
index 5d062f7720..3edf3e0185 100644
--- a/conda_build/build.py
+++ b/conda_build/build.py
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@
 from . import environ, noarch_python, source, tarcheck, utils
 from .config import Config
 from .create_test import create_all_test_files
-from .deprecations import deprecated
 from .exceptions import (
     BuildScriptException,
     CondaBuildException,
@@ -2869,32 +2868,6 @@ def warn_on_use_of_SRC_DIR(metadata):
             )
 
 
-@deprecated(
-    "3.16.0",
-    "24.9.0",
-    addendum=(
-        "Test built packages instead, not recipes "
-        "(e.g., `conda build --test package` instead of `conda build --test recipe/`)."
-    ),
-    deprecation_type=FutureWarning,  # we need to warn users, not developers
-)
-def _construct_metadata_for_test_from_recipe(recipe_dir, config):
-    config.need_cleanup = False
-    config.recipe_dir = None
-    hash_input = {}
-    metadata = expand_outputs(
-        render_recipe(recipe_dir, config=config, reset_build_id=False)
-    )[0][1]
-
-    utils.rm_rf(metadata.config.test_dir)
-
-    if metadata.meta.get("test", {}).get("source_files"):
-        if not metadata.source_provided:
-            try_download(metadata, no_download_source=False)
-
-    return metadata, hash_input
-
-
 def _construct_metadata_for_test_from_package(package, config):
     recipe_dir, need_cleanup = utils.get_recipe_abspath(package)
     config.need_cleanup = need_cleanup
@@ -3034,18 +3007,7 @@ def _extract_test_files_from_package(metadata):
 
 
 def construct_metadata_for_test(recipedir_or_package, config):
-    if (
-        os.path.isdir(recipedir_or_package)
-        or os.path.basename(recipedir_or_package) == "meta.yaml"
-    ):
-        m, hash_input = _construct_metadata_for_test_from_recipe(
-            recipedir_or_package, config
-        )
-    else:
-        m, hash_input = _construct_metadata_for_test_from_package(
-            recipedir_or_package, config
-        )
-    return m, hash_input
+    return _construct_metadata_for_test_from_package(recipedir_or_package, config)
 
 
 def _set_env_variables_for_build(m, env):
diff --git a/news/5478-24.9-removals b/news/5478-24.9-removals
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5d19e52eda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/5478-24.9-removals
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+### Enhancements
+
+* <news item>
+
+### Bug fixes
+
+* <news item>
+
+### Deprecations
+
+* Remove `conda_build.build._construct_metadata_for_test_from_recipe`. Test built packages instead, not recipes (e.g., `conda build --test package` instead of `conda build --test recipe/`). (#5478)
+
+### Docs
+
+* <news item>
+
+### Other
+
+* <news item>
diff --git a/tests/cli/test_main_build.py b/tests/cli/test_main_build.py
index ed56cabceb..d78f87b749 100644
--- a/tests/cli/test_main_build.py
+++ b/tests/cli/test_main_build.py
@@ -443,35 +443,6 @@ def test_relative_path_test_artifact(
     main_build.execute(args)
 
 
-def test_relative_path_test_recipe(conda_build_test_recipe_envvar: str):
-    # this test builds a package into (cwd)/relative/path and then calls:
-    # conda-build --test --croot ./relative/path/ /abs/path/to/recipe
-
-    empty_sections = Path(metadata_dir, "empty_with_build_script")
-    croot_rel = Path(".", "relative", "path")
-    croot_abs = croot_rel.resolve()
-
-    # build the package
-    args = [
-        "--no-anaconda-upload",
-        "--no-test",
-        f"--croot={croot_abs}",
-        str(empty_sections),
-    ]
-    main_build.execute(args)
-
-    assert len(list(croot_abs.glob("**/*.tar.bz2"))) == 1
-
-    # run the test stage with relative croot
-    args = [
-        "--no-anaconda-upload",
-        "--test",
-        f"--croot={croot_rel}",
-        str(empty_sections),
-    ]
-    main_build.execute(args)
-
-
 def test_test_extra_dep(testing_metadata):
     testing_metadata.meta["test"]["imports"] = ["imagesize"]
     api.output_yaml(testing_metadata, "meta.yaml")
diff --git a/tests/test_api_test.py b/tests/test_api_test.py
index 10200d5a99..3fa6286dcb 100644
--- a/tests/test_api_test.py
+++ b/tests/test_api_test.py
@@ -14,15 +14,6 @@
 from .utils import metadata_dir
 
 
-@pytest.mark.sanity
-def test_recipe_test(testing_config):
-    """Test calling conda build -t <recipe dir>"""
-    recipe = os.path.join(metadata_dir, "has_prefix_files")
-    metadata = api.render(recipe, config=testing_config)[0][0]
-    api.build(metadata, notest=True, anaconda_upload=False)
-    api.test(recipe, config=metadata.config)
-
-
 @pytest.mark.sanity
 def test_package_test(testing_config):
     """Test calling conda build -t <package file> - rather than <recipe dir>"""
diff --git a/tests/test_build.py b/tests/test_build.py
index 40ed500020..560602f83d 100644
--- a/tests/test_build.py
+++ b/tests/test_build.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 from conda_build import api, build
 from conda_build.exceptions import CondaBuildUserError
 
-from .utils import get_noarch_python_meta, metadata_dir, metadata_path
+from .utils import get_noarch_python_meta, metadata_dir
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from conda_build.config import Config
@@ -349,14 +349,6 @@ def test_copy_readme(testing_metadata: MetaData, readme: str):
     assert Path(testing_metadata.config.info_dir, readme).exists()
 
 
-def test_construct_metadata_for_test_from_recipe(testing_config: Config) -> None:
-    with pytest.warns(FutureWarning):
-        build._construct_metadata_for_test_from_recipe(
-            str(metadata_path / "test_source_files"),
-            testing_config,
-        )
-
-
 @pytest.mark.skipif(not on_win, reason="WSL is only on Windows")
 def test_wsl_unsupported(
     testing_metadata: MetaData,