diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractStringBasedJpaQuery.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractStringBasedJpaQuery.java
index 776177a19..55933a649 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractStringBasedJpaQuery.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractStringBasedJpaQuery.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query;
 import javax.persistence.EntityManager;
 import javax.persistence.Query;
 import javax.persistence.Tuple;
+import javax.persistence.metamodel.ManagedType;
 
 import org.springframework.data.repository.query.EvaluationContextProvider;
 import org.springframework.data.repository.query.ParameterAccessor;
@@ -137,6 +138,25 @@ abstract class AbstractStringBasedJpaQuery extends AbstractJpaQuery {
 		ResultProcessor resultFactory = getQueryMethod().getResultProcessor();
 		ReturnedType returnedType = resultFactory.getReturnedType();
 
-		return returnedType.isProjecting() ? em.createQuery(queryString, Tuple.class) : em.createQuery(queryString);
+		return returnedType.isProjecting() && !isJpaManaged(returnedType.getReturnedType(), em)
+				? em.createQuery(queryString, Tuple.class) : em.createQuery(queryString);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns whether the given type is managed by the given {@link EntityManager}
+	 * @param type must not be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param em must not be {@literal null}.
+	 * 
+	 * @return
+	 */
+	private static boolean isJpaManaged(Class<?> type, EntityManager em) {
+
+		for (ManagedType<?> managedType : em.getMetamodel().getManagedTypes()) {
+			if (managedType.getJavaType().equals(type)) {
+				return true;
+			}
+		}
+
+		return false;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractStringBasedJpaQueryIntegrationTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractStringBasedJpaQueryIntegrationTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4c7fbdcfd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/AbstractStringBasedJpaQueryIntegrationTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2016 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query;
+
+import static org.mockito.Matchers.*;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Method;
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import javax.persistence.EntityManager;
+import javax.persistence.PersistenceContext;
+import javax.persistence.Tuple;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.domain.sample.Role;
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.domain.sample.User;
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.provider.PersistenceProvider;
+import org.springframework.data.projection.SpelAwareProxyProjectionFactory;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.Repository;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.DefaultRepositoryMetadata;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.query.DefaultEvaluationContextProvider;
+import org.springframework.expression.spel.standard.SpelExpressionParser;
+import org.springframework.test.context.ContextConfiguration;
+import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner;
+
+/**
+ * Integration tests for {@link AbstractStringBasedJpaQuery}.
+ * 
+ * @author Oliver Gierke
+ * @soundtrack Henrik Freischlader Trio - Nobody Else To Blame (Openness)
+ */
+@RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
+@ContextConfiguration("classpath:infrastructure.xml")
+public class AbstractStringBasedJpaQueryIntegrationTests {
+
+	@PersistenceContext EntityManager em;
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-885
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void createsNormalQueryForJpaManagedReturnTypes() throws Exception {
+
+		EntityManager mock = mock(EntityManager.class);
+		when(mock.getEntityManagerFactory()).thenReturn(em.getEntityManagerFactory());
+		when(mock.getMetamodel()).thenReturn(em.getMetamodel());
+
+		JpaQueryMethod method = getMethod("findRolesByEmailAddress", String.class);
+		AbstractStringBasedJpaQuery jpaQuery = new SimpleJpaQuery(method, mock, DefaultEvaluationContextProvider.INSTANCE,
+				new SpelExpressionParser());
+
+		jpaQuery.createJpaQuery(method.getAnnotatedQuery());
+
+		verify(mock, times(1)).createQuery(anyString());
+		verify(mock, times(0)).createQuery(anyString(), eq(Tuple.class));
+	}
+
+	private JpaQueryMethod getMethod(String name, Class<?>... parameterTypes) throws Exception {
+
+		Method method = SampleRepository.class.getMethod(name, parameterTypes);
+		PersistenceProvider persistenceProvider = PersistenceProvider.fromEntityManager(em);
+
+		return new JpaQueryMethod(method, new DefaultRepositoryMetadata(SampleRepository.class),
+				new SpelAwareProxyProjectionFactory(), persistenceProvider);
+	}
+
+	interface SampleRepository extends Repository<User, Integer> {
+
+		@org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.Query("select u.roles from User u where u.emailAddress = ?1")
+		Set<Role> findRolesByEmailAddress(String emailAddress);
+	}
+}