diff --git a/src/core/dep-graph.ts b/src/core/dep-graph.ts
index b95cc33..cdd4b5b 100644
--- a/src/core/dep-graph.ts
+++ b/src/core/dep-graph.ts
@@ -152,9 +152,14 @@ class DepGraphImpl implements types.DepGraphInternal {
   public countPathsToRoot(pkg: types.Pkg): number {
     let count = 0;
     for (const nodeId of this.getPkgNodeIds(pkg)) {
-      count += this.countNodePathsToRoot(nodeId);
+      if (this._countNodePathsToRootCache.has(nodeId)) {
+        count += this._countNodePathsToRootCache.get(nodeId)!;
+      } else {
+        const c = this.countNodePathsToRoot(nodeId);
+        this._countNodePathsToRootCache.set(nodeId, c);
+        count += c;
+      }
     }
-
     return count;
   }
 
@@ -367,30 +372,17 @@ class DepGraphImpl implements types.DepGraphInternal {
     return allPaths;
   }
 
-  private countNodePathsToRoot(
-    nodeId: string,
-    ancestors: string[] = [],
-  ): number {
-    if (ancestors.includes(nodeId)) {
-      return 0;
-    }
-
-    if (this._countNodePathsToRootCache.has(nodeId)) {
-      return this._countNodePathsToRootCache.get(nodeId) || 0;
-    }
-
-    const parentNodesIds = this.getNodeParentsNodeIds(nodeId);
-    if (parentNodesIds.length === 0) {
-      this._countNodePathsToRootCache.set(nodeId, 1);
+  private countNodePathsToRoot(nodeId: string, visited: string[] = []): number {
+    if (nodeId === this._rootNodeId) {
       return 1;
     }
-
-    ancestors = ancestors.concat(nodeId);
-    const count = parentNodesIds.reduce((acc, parentNodeId) => {
-      return acc + this.countNodePathsToRoot(parentNodeId, ancestors);
-    }, 0);
-
-    this._countNodePathsToRootCache.set(nodeId, count);
+    visited = visited.concat(nodeId);
+    let count = 0;
+    for (const parentNodeId of this.getNodeParentsNodeIds(nodeId)) {
+      if (!visited.includes(parentNodeId)) {
+        count += this.countNodePathsToRoot(parentNodeId, visited);
+      }
+    }
     return count;
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/core/__snapshots__/cycles.test.ts.snap b/test/core/__snapshots__/cycles.test.ts.snap
deleted file mode 100644
index 9108f37..0000000
--- a/test/core/__snapshots__/cycles.test.ts.snap
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,83 +0,0 @@
-// Jest Snapshot v1, https://goo.gl/fbAQLP
-
-exports[`cycles pkgPathsToRoot - should work with cycles: bar@3 1`] = `
-Array [
-  Array [
-    Object {
-      "name": "bar",
-      "version": "3",
-    },
-    Object {
-      "name": "foo",
-      "version": "2",
-    },
-    Object {
-      "name": "toor",
-      "version": "1.0.0",
-    },
-  ],
-]
-`;
-
-exports[`cycles pkgPathsToRoot - should work with cycles: baz@4 1`] = `
-Array [
-  Array [
-    Object {
-      "name": "baz",
-      "version": "4",
-    },
-    Object {
-      "name": "foo",
-      "version": "2",
-    },
-    Object {
-      "name": "toor",
-      "version": "1.0.0",
-    },
-  ],
-  Array [
-    Object {
-      "name": "baz",
-      "version": "4",
-    },
-    Object {
-      "name": "bar",
-      "version": "3",
-    },
-    Object {
-      "name": "foo",
-      "version": "2",
-    },
-    Object {
-      "name": "toor",
-      "version": "1.0.0",
-    },
-  ],
-]
-`;
-
-exports[`cycles pkgPathsToRoot - should work with cycles: foo@2 1`] = `
-Array [
-  Array [
-    Object {
-      "name": "foo",
-      "version": "2",
-    },
-    Object {
-      "name": "toor",
-      "version": "1.0.0",
-    },
-  ],
-]
-`;
-
-exports[`cycles pkgPathsToRoot - should work with cycles: toor@1.0.0 1`] = `
-Array [
-  Array [
-    Object {
-      "name": "toor",
-      "version": "1.0.0",
-    },
-  ],
-]
-`;
diff --git a/test/core/__snapshots__/pkg-paths-to-root.test.ts.snap b/test/core/__snapshots__/pkg-paths-to-root.test.ts.snap
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..083d533
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/core/__snapshots__/pkg-paths-to-root.test.ts.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,234 @@
+// Jest Snapshot v1, https://goo.gl/fbAQLP
+
+exports[`pkgPathsToRoot cycles returns expected paths for all packages: a@1 1`] = `
+Array [
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+]
+`;
+
+exports[`pkgPathsToRoot cycles returns expected paths for all packages: b@2 1`] = `
+Array [
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "b",
+      "version": "2",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+]
+`;
+
+exports[`pkgPathsToRoot cycles returns expected paths for all packages: c@3 1`] = `
+Array [
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "c",
+      "version": "3",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+]
+`;
+
+exports[`pkgPathsToRoot cycles returns expected paths for all packages: d@4 1`] = `
+Array [
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "d",
+      "version": "4",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+]
+`;
+
+exports[`pkgPathsToRoot cycles returns expected paths for all packages: e@5 1`] = `
+Array [
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "e",
+      "version": "5",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "b",
+      "version": "2",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "e",
+      "version": "5",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "c",
+      "version": "3",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "e",
+      "version": "5",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "g",
+      "version": "7",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "f",
+      "version": "6",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "d",
+      "version": "4",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+]
+`;
+
+exports[`pkgPathsToRoot cycles returns expected paths for all packages: f@6 1`] = `
+Array [
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "f",
+      "version": "6",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "d",
+      "version": "4",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "f",
+      "version": "6",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "e",
+      "version": "5",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "b",
+      "version": "2",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "f",
+      "version": "6",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "e",
+      "version": "5",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "c",
+      "version": "3",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+]
+`;
+
+exports[`pkgPathsToRoot cycles returns expected paths for all packages: g@7 1`] = `
+Array [
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "g",
+      "version": "7",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "f",
+      "version": "6",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "d",
+      "version": "4",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "g",
+      "version": "7",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "f",
+      "version": "6",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "e",
+      "version": "5",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "b",
+      "version": "2",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+  Array [
+    Object {
+      "name": "g",
+      "version": "7",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "f",
+      "version": "6",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "e",
+      "version": "5",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "c",
+      "version": "3",
+    },
+    Object {
+      "name": "a",
+      "version": "1",
+    },
+  ],
+]
+`;
diff --git a/test/core/count-paths-to-root.test.ts b/test/core/count-paths-to-root.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..08f7926
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/core/count-paths-to-root.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import * as depGraphLib from '../../src';
+import * as helpers from '../helpers';
+
+describe('countPathsToRoot', () => {
+  const depGraphData = helpers.loadFixture('cyclic-complex-dep-graph.json');
+  const depGraph = depGraphLib.createFromJSON(depGraphData);
+
+  it('returns 1 for the root node', () => {
+    expect(depGraph.countPathsToRoot(depGraph.rootPkg)).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it.each`
+    name   | version | expected
+    ${'a'} | ${'1'}  | ${1}
+    ${'b'} | ${'2'}  | ${1}
+    ${'c'} | ${'3'}  | ${1}
+    ${'d'} | ${'4'}  | ${1}
+    ${'e'} | ${'5'}  | ${3}
+    ${'f'} | ${'6'}  | ${3}
+    ${'g'} | ${'7'}  | ${3}
+  `('returns $expected for $name@$version', ({ name, version, expected }) => {
+    expect(depGraph.countPathsToRoot({ name, version })).toBe(expected);
+  });
+
+  it.each(depGraph.getPkgs())(`equals pkgPathsToRoot(%s).length`, (pkg) => {
+    expect(depGraph.countPathsToRoot(pkg)).toBe(
+      depGraph.pkgPathsToRoot(pkg).length,
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/core/cycles.test.ts b/test/core/cycles.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index b17efd5..0000000
--- a/test/core/cycles.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-import * as depGraphLib from '../../src';
-import * as helpers from '../helpers';
-
-describe('cycles', () => {
-  let depGraph;
-  let toor;
-  let foo;
-  let bar;
-  let baz;
-
-  beforeEach(() => {
-    const cyclicDepGraphData = helpers.loadFixture('cyclic-dep-graph.json');
-    cyclicDepGraphData.graph.nodes
-      .find((x) => x.nodeId === 'foo@2|x')
-      .deps.push({ nodeId: 'baz@4|x' });
-    depGraph = depGraphLib.createFromJSON(cyclicDepGraphData);
-    [toor, foo, bar, baz] = depGraph.getPkgs();
-  });
-
-  test('pkgPathsToRoot - should work with cycles', () => {
-    depGraph.getPkgs().forEach((pkg) => {
-      const pkgPathsToRoot = depGraph.pkgPathsToRoot(pkg);
-
-      expect(pkgPathsToRoot).toMatchSnapshot(`${pkg.name}@${pkg.version}`);
-    });
-  });
-
-  describe('countPathsToRoot - should work with cycles', () => {
-    it('toor', () => expect(depGraph.countPathsToRoot(toor)).toBe(1));
-    it('foo', () => expect(depGraph.countPathsToRoot(foo)).toBe(1));
-    it('bar', () => expect(depGraph.countPathsToRoot(bar)).toBe(1));
-    it('baz', () => expect(depGraph.countPathsToRoot(baz)).toBe(2));
-  });
-});
diff --git a/test/core/pkg-paths-to-root.test.ts b/test/core/pkg-paths-to-root.test.ts
index b46e75e..22fd362 100644
--- a/test/core/pkg-paths-to-root.test.ts
+++ b/test/core/pkg-paths-to-root.test.ts
@@ -81,4 +81,15 @@ describe('pkgPathsToRoot', () => {
     expect(pathsWithoutLimit.length).toBeGreaterThan(limit);
     expect(pathsWithlimit).toHaveLength(limit);
   });
+
+  describe('cycles', () => {
+    const depGraphData = loadFixture('cyclic-complex-dep-graph.json');
+    const depGraph = createFromJSON(depGraphData);
+    it('returns expected paths for all packages', () => {
+      depGraph.getPkgs().forEach((pkg) => {
+        const pkgPathsToRoot = depGraph.pkgPathsToRoot(pkg);
+        expect(pkgPathsToRoot).toMatchSnapshot(`${pkg.name}@${pkg.version}`);
+      });
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/test/core/stress.test.ts b/test/core/stress.test.ts
index 6257b56..9470b7f 100644
--- a/test/core/stress.test.ts
+++ b/test/core/stress.test.ts
@@ -36,4 +36,21 @@ describe('stress tests', () => {
     });
     expect(result).toBeDefined();
   });
+  test('countPathsToRoot() is cached', async () => {
+    const graph = await generateLargeGraph(100_000);
+    let start = Date.now();
+    graph.countPathsToRoot({
+      name: dependencyName,
+      version: '1.2.3',
+    });
+    const firstCallDuration = Date.now() - start;
+    start = Date.now();
+    graph.countPathsToRoot({
+      name: dependencyName,
+      version: '1.2.3',
+    });
+    const secondCallDuration = Date.now() - start;
+    // the second call must be *significantly* faster than the first
+    expect(secondCallDuration).toBeLessThan(firstCallDuration * 0.2);
+  });
 });