diff --git a/doc/api/stream.md b/doc/api/stream.md
index 4bdf3159dfaa80..8189f5c84d93ab 100644
--- a/doc/api/stream.md
+++ b/doc/api/stream.md
@@ -2059,7 +2059,9 @@ when `_read()` is called again after it has stopped should it resume pushing
 additional data onto the queue.
 
 Once the `readable._read()` method has been called, it will not be called again
-until the [`readable.push()`][stream-push] method is called.
+until more data is pushed through the [`readable.push()`][stream-push] method.
+Empty data such as empty buffers and strings will not cause `readable._read()`
+to be called.
 
 The `size` argument is advisory. For implementations where a "read" is a
 single operation that returns data can use the `size` argument to determine how
diff --git a/lib/internal/streams/duplexpair.js b/lib/internal/streams/duplexpair.js
index beaf9e9eb3d03d..6735bcb2b92531 100644
--- a/lib/internal/streams/duplexpair.js
+++ b/lib/internal/streams/duplexpair.js
@@ -20,8 +20,12 @@ class DuplexSocket extends Duplex {
   }
 
   _write(chunk, encoding, callback) {
-    this[kOtherSide][kCallback] = callback;
-    this[kOtherSide].push(chunk);
+    if (chunk.length === 0) {
+      process.nextTick(callback);
+    } else {
+      this[kOtherSide].push(chunk);
+      this[kOtherSide][kCallback] = callback;
+    }
   }
 
   _final(callback) {
diff --git a/test/common/duplexpair.js b/test/common/duplexpair.js
index 0783aeb861100e..4eb4f326f2d295 100644
--- a/test/common/duplexpair.js
+++ b/test/common/duplexpair.js
@@ -24,8 +24,12 @@ class DuplexSocket extends Duplex {
   _write(chunk, encoding, callback) {
     assert.notStrictEqual(this[kOtherSide], null);
     assert.strictEqual(this[kOtherSide][kCallback], null);
-    this[kOtherSide][kCallback] = callback;
-    this[kOtherSide].push(chunk);
+    if (chunk.length === 0) {
+      process.nextTick(callback);
+    } else {
+      this[kOtherSide].push(chunk);
+      this[kOtherSide][kCallback] = callback;
+    }
   }
 
   _final(callback) {