diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/admin_email_select.js b/app/assets/javascripts/admin_email_select.js
index e00a8550159ca1c85f240d75d884bd091e1960a0..9bd8b366d2401679ffc5ac9919882398b12a24c8 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/admin_email_select.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/admin_email_select.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
                 all = {
                   id: "all"
                 };
-                data = $.merge([all], groups[0], projects[0]);
+                data = [all].concat(groups[0], projects[0]);
                 return query.callback({
                   results: data
                 });
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased-ee/1656-fix-admin-user-email-recipient-select-list.yml b/changelogs/unreleased-ee/1656-fix-admin-user-email-recipient-select-list.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..01052e759e344bd466ca8e29aa0aada762acc401
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased-ee/1656-fix-admin-user-email-recipient-select-list.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+title: Fix admin email notification recipient group select list
+merge_request:
+author:
diff --git a/spec/features/admin/admin_emails_spec.rb b/spec/features/admin/admin_emails_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8bb87974f398f8ca1adc81e356f0ec3340290c91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/features/admin/admin_emails_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe "Admin::Emails", feature: true, js: true do
+  include WaitForAjax
+
+  let!(:current_user) { login_as :admin }
+  let!(:group) { create(:group) }
+  let!(:project) { create(:project, namespace: group) }
+
+  describe "GET /admin/email" do
+    before do
+      visit admin_email_path
+    end
+
+    describe 'Recipient group select' do
+      it "includes groups and projects" do
+        find('.ajax-admin-email-select').click
+        wait_for_ajax
+
+        expect(page).to have_selector('.ajax-admin-email-dropdown li', count: 3)
+        group_names = page.all('.ajax-admin-email-dropdown li .group-name')
+        expect(group_names[0].text).to eq('All')
+        expect(group_names[1].text).to eq(group.name)
+        expect(find('.ajax-admin-email-dropdown li .project-name').text).to eq(project.name)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end