diff --git a/esmvalcore/_recipe_checks.py b/esmvalcore/_recipe_checks.py
index 1133a36639..89e27bfe1e 100644
--- a/esmvalcore/_recipe_checks.py
+++ b/esmvalcore/_recipe_checks.py
@@ -142,7 +142,8 @@ def data_availability(input_files, var, dirnames, filenames):
     if missing_years:
         raise RecipeError(
             "No input data available for years {} in files {}".format(
-                ", ".join(str(year) for year in missing_years), input_files))
+                ", ".join(str(year) for year in sorted(missing_years)),
+                input_files))
 
 
 def tasks_valid(tasks):
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_recipe_checks.py b/tests/integration/test_recipe_checks.py
index 5cec9b2abf..1a4f0e290c 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_recipe_checks.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_recipe_checks.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
     (FILES[:-1], dict(VAR), ERR_RANGE.format('2025', FILES[:-1])),
     (FILES[:-2], dict(VAR), ERR_RANGE.format('2024, 2025', FILES[:-2])),
     ([FILES[1]] + [FILES[3]], dict(VAR),
-     ERR_RANGE.format('2024, 2025, 2020, 2022', [FILES[1]] + [FILES[3]])),
+     ERR_RANGE.format('2020, 2022, 2024, 2025', [FILES[1]] + [FILES[3]])),
 ]