diff --git a/flax/nnx/bridge/variables.py b/flax/nnx/bridge/variables.py
index 93531bb485..121bb98eb8 100644
--- a/flax/nnx/bridge/variables.py
+++ b/flax/nnx/bridge/variables.py
@@ -174,6 +174,7 @@ def _recursive_merge(dict1, dict2):
 
 
 def linen_vars_to_nnx_attrs(variables: tp.Mapping[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
+  """Convert a dict of Linen-style variables to NNX variables."""
   nnx_vars = jax.tree_util.tree_map_with_path(
     lambda kp, x: to_nnx_var(get_col_name(kp), x),
     variables, is_leaf=lambda x: isinstance(x, meta.AxisMetadata))
@@ -190,19 +191,22 @@ def linen_vars_to_nnx_attrs(variables: tp.Mapping[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
 
 
 def nnx_attrs_to_linen_vars(nnx_attrs: dict) -> dict:
+  """Convert a dict of NNX variables (or variable states) to Linen-style variables."""
   linen_structured = {}
   for kp, v in traversals.flatten_mapping(
       nnx_attrs,
-      is_leaf=lambda _, x: isinstance(x, variableslib.Variable | GraphDef),
-      ).items():
+      is_leaf=lambda _, x: isinstance(
+          x, variableslib.Variable | variableslib.VariableState | GraphDef
+      ),
+  ).items():
     if isinstance(v, variableslib.Variable):
       col_name = variable_type_name(type(v))
+      v = to_linen_var(v.to_state())
+    elif isinstance(v, variableslib.VariableState):
+      col_name = variable_type_name(v.type)
+      v = to_linen_var(v)
     else:
       col_name = 'nnx'  # it must be an nnx.GraphDef, for some ToLinen submodule
     linen_structured[(col_name, *kp)] = v
   variables = traversals.unflatten_mapping(linen_structured)
-  variables = jax.tree.map(lambda x: to_linen_var(x.to_state()),
-                            variables,
-                            is_leaf=lambda x: isinstance(x, variableslib.Variable))
   return variables
-