diff --git a/hudi-client/hudi-spark-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hudi/client/functional/TestHoodieBackedTableMetadata.java b/hudi-client/hudi-spark-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hudi/client/functional/TestHoodieBackedTableMetadata.java
index cac1e1bbe81e2..51860ac9eeffc 100644
--- a/hudi-client/hudi-spark-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hudi/client/functional/TestHoodieBackedTableMetadata.java
+++ b/hudi-client/hudi-spark-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hudi/client/functional/TestHoodieBackedTableMetadata.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 package org.apache.hudi.client.functional;
 
+import org.apache.hadoop.fs.Path;
 import org.apache.hudi.common.model.HoodieTableType;
 import org.apache.hudi.common.table.view.TableFileSystemView;
 import org.apache.hudi.common.testutils.HoodieTestTable;
@@ -109,4 +110,17 @@ public void testMetadataTableKeyGenerator(final HoodieTableType tableType) throw
         tableMetadata.getMetadataMetaClient().getTableConfig().getKeyGeneratorClassName());
   }
 
+  /**
+   * [HUDI-2852] Table metadata returns empty for non-exist partition.
+   */
+  @ParameterizedTest
+  @EnumSource(HoodieTableType.class)
+  public void testNotExistPartition(final HoodieTableType tableType) throws Exception {
+    init(tableType);
+    HoodieBackedTableMetadata tableMetadata = new HoodieBackedTableMetadata(context,
+        writeConfig.getMetadataConfig(), writeConfig.getBasePath(), writeConfig.getSpillableMapBasePath(), false);
+    FileStatus[] allFilesInPartition =
+        tableMetadata.getAllFilesInPartition(new Path(writeConfig.getBasePath() + "dummy"));
+    assertEquals(allFilesInPartition.length, 0);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/hudi-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hudi/metadata/HoodieBackedTableMetadata.java b/hudi-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hudi/metadata/HoodieBackedTableMetadata.java
index 766bc68ec1151..8a9f8552c15b1 100644
--- a/hudi-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hudi/metadata/HoodieBackedTableMetadata.java
+++ b/hudi-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hudi/metadata/HoodieBackedTableMetadata.java
@@ -121,7 +121,8 @@ private void initIfNeeded() {
 
   @Override
   protected Option<HoodieRecord<HoodieMetadataPayload>> getRecordByKey(String key, String partitionName) {
-    return getRecordsByKeys(Collections.singletonList(key), partitionName).get(0).getValue();
+    List<Pair<String, Option<HoodieRecord<HoodieMetadataPayload>>>> recordsByKeys = getRecordsByKeys(Collections.singletonList(key), partitionName);
+    return recordsByKeys.size() == 0 ? Option.empty() : recordsByKeys.get(0).getValue();
   }
 
   protected List<Pair<String, Option<HoodieRecord<HoodieMetadataPayload>>>> getRecordsByKeys(List<String> keys, String partitionName) {
@@ -131,6 +132,10 @@ protected List<Pair<String, Option<HoodieRecord<HoodieMetadataPayload>>>> getRec
       HoodieFileReader baseFileReader = readers.getKey();
       HoodieMetadataMergedLogRecordReader logRecordScanner = readers.getRight();
 
+      if (baseFileReader == null && logRecordScanner == null) {
+        return Collections.emptyList();
+      }
+
       // local map to assist in merging with base file records
       Map<String, Option<HoodieRecord<HoodieMetadataPayload>>> logRecords = readLogRecords(logRecordScanner, keys, timings);
       List<Pair<String, Option<HoodieRecord<HoodieMetadataPayload>>>> result = readFromBaseAndMergeWithLogRecords(
@@ -241,6 +246,10 @@ private Pair<HoodieFileReader, HoodieMetadataMergedLogRecordReader> openReadersI
         // Metadata is in sync till the latest completed instant on the dataset
         HoodieTimer timer = new HoodieTimer().startTimer();
         List<FileSlice> latestFileSlices = HoodieTableMetadataUtil.loadPartitionFileGroupsWithLatestFileSlices(metadataMetaClient, partitionName);
+        if (latestFileSlices.size() == 0) {
+          // empty partition
+          return Pair.of(null, null);
+        }
         ValidationUtils.checkArgument(latestFileSlices.size() == 1, String.format("Invalid number of file slices: found=%d, required=%d", latestFileSlices.size(), 1));
         final FileSlice slice = latestFileSlices.get(HoodieTableMetadataUtil.mapRecordKeyToFileGroupIndex(key, latestFileSlices.size()));