diff --git a/lib/manager/gradle-lite/parser.spec.ts b/lib/manager/gradle-lite/parser.spec.ts
index 437a77ceefeb8f0212246bd46853b7be41ccacb7..072126bdc086457646214acf00bb8fcb70f84bbd 100644
--- a/lib/manager/gradle-lite/parser.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/manager/gradle-lite/parser.spec.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,23 @@ describe('manager/gradle-lite/parser', () => {
     let deps;
 
     ({ deps } = parseGradle(
-      '\nversion = "1.2.3"\n"foo:bar:$version"\nversion = "3.2.1"'
+      ['version = "1.2.3"', '"foo:bar:$version"', 'version = "3.2.1"'].join(
+        '\n'
+      )
+    ));
+    expect(deps).toMatchObject([
+      {
+        depName: 'foo:bar',
+        currentValue: '1.2.3',
+      },
+    ]);
+
+    ({ deps } = parseGradle(
+      [
+        'set("version", "1.2.3")',
+        '"foo:bar:$version"',
+        'set("version", "3.2.1")',
+      ].join('\n')
     ));
     expect(deps).toMatchObject([
       {
diff --git a/lib/manager/gradle-lite/parser.ts b/lib/manager/gradle-lite/parser.ts
index e570e523b53049a56221ac8ef7e231f5f92d664a..4e3ab1f64b8cc88b57ab43d0f427df3a5574ca26 100644
--- a/lib/manager/gradle-lite/parser.ts
+++ b/lib/manager/gradle-lite/parser.ts
@@ -259,6 +259,19 @@ const matcherConfigs: SyntaxMatchConfig[] = [
     ],
     handler: handleAssignment,
   },
+  {
+    // set('foo', 'bar')
+    matchers: [
+      { matchType: TokenType.Word, matchValue: 'set' },
+      { matchType: TokenType.LeftParen },
+      { matchType: TokenType.String, tokenMapKey: 'keyToken' },
+      { matchType: TokenType.Comma },
+      { matchType: TokenType.String, tokenMapKey: 'valToken' },
+      { matchType: TokenType.RightParen },
+      endOfInstruction,
+    ],
+    handler: handleAssignment,
+  },
   {
     // 'foo.bar:baz:1.2.3'
     matchers: [