diff --git a/hoodie-client/src/main/java/com/uber/hoodie/table/HoodieCopyOnWriteTable.java b/hoodie-client/src/main/java/com/uber/hoodie/table/HoodieCopyOnWriteTable.java
index ffe30dcd9..35a76a070 100644
--- a/hoodie-client/src/main/java/com/uber/hoodie/table/HoodieCopyOnWriteTable.java
+++ b/hoodie-client/src/main/java/com/uber/hoodie/table/HoodieCopyOnWriteTable.java
@@ -492,21 +492,19 @@ public class HoodieCopyOnWriteTable<T extends HoodieRecordPayload> extends Hoodi
      */
     @Override
     public List<HoodieCleanStat> clean(JavaSparkContext jsc) {
-        List<HoodieCleanStat> partitionCleanStats;
         try {
             List<String> partitionsToClean =
                 FSUtils.getAllPartitionPaths(getFs(), getMetaClient().getBasePath(), config.shouldAssumeDatePartitioning());
             logger.info("Partitions to clean up : " + partitionsToClean + ", with policy " + config
                 .getCleanerPolicy());
-            partitionCleanStats = cleanPartitionPaths(partitionsToClean, jsc);
             if (partitionsToClean.isEmpty()) {
                 logger.info("Nothing to clean here mom. It is already clean");
-                return partitionCleanStats;
+                return Collections.emptyList();
             }
+            return cleanPartitionPaths(partitionsToClean, jsc);
         } catch (IOException e) {
             throw new HoodieIOException("Failed to clean up after commit", e);
         }
-        return partitionCleanStats;
     }
 
     private static class PartitionCleanStat implements Serializable {
diff --git a/hoodie-client/src/test/java/com/uber/hoodie/TestHoodieClient.java b/hoodie-client/src/test/java/com/uber/hoodie/TestHoodieClient.java
index 61ff10af5..41c9c02ea 100644
--- a/hoodie-client/src/test/java/com/uber/hoodie/TestHoodieClient.java
+++ b/hoodie-client/src/test/java/com/uber/hoodie/TestHoodieClient.java
@@ -1225,6 +1225,28 @@ public class TestHoodieClient implements Serializable {
         assertTrue(HoodieTestUtils.doesDataFileExist(basePath, partitionPaths[0], "001", file2P0C1));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testCleaningWithZeroPartitonPaths() throws IOException {
+        HoodieWriteConfig config = HoodieWriteConfig.newBuilder().withPath(basePath)
+            .withAssumeDatePartitioning(true)
+            .withCompactionConfig(HoodieCompactionConfig.newBuilder()
+                .withCleanerPolicy(HoodieCleaningPolicy.KEEP_LATEST_COMMITS)
+                .retainCommits(2).build()).build();
+
+        // Make a commit, although there are no partitionPaths.
+        // Example use-case of this is when a client wants to create a table
+        // with just some commit metadata, but no data/partitionPaths.
+        HoodieTestUtils.createCommitFiles(basePath, "000");
+
+        HoodieTable table = HoodieTable
+            .getHoodieTable(new HoodieTableMetaClient(FSUtils.getFs(), config.getBasePath(), true),
+                config);
+
+        List<HoodieCleanStat> hoodieCleanStatsOne = table.clean(jsc);
+        assertTrue("HoodieCleanStats should be empty for a table with empty partitionPaths",
+            hoodieCleanStatsOne.isEmpty());
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testCleaningSkewedPartitons() throws IOException {
         HoodieWriteConfig config = HoodieWriteConfig.newBuilder().withPath(basePath)