diff --git a/rust-arroyo/src/processing/strategies/reduce.rs b/rust-arroyo/src/processing/strategies/reduce.rs
index 1ce00125..e9d8fe64 100644
--- a/rust-arroyo/src/processing/strategies/reduce.rs
+++ b/rust-arroyo/src/processing/strategies/reduce.rs
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ pub struct Reduce<T, TResult> {
     message_carried_over: Option<Message<TResult>>,
     commit_request_carried_over: Option<CommitRequest>,
     compute_batch_size: fn(&T) -> usize,
+    flush_empty_batches: bool,
 }
 
 impl<T: Send + Sync, TResult: Clone + Send + Sync> ProcessingStrategy<T> for Reduce<T, TResult> {
@@ -146,9 +147,15 @@ impl<T, TResult: Clone> Reduce<T, TResult> {
             message_carried_over: None,
             commit_request_carried_over: None,
             compute_batch_size,
+            flush_empty_batches: false,
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn flush_empty_batches(mut self, yes: bool) -> Self {
+        self.flush_empty_batches = yes;
+        self
+    }
+
     fn flush(&mut self, force: bool) -> Result<(), InvalidMessage> {
         // Try re-submitting the carried over message if there is one
         if let Some(message) = self.message_carried_over.take() {
@@ -165,7 +172,7 @@ impl<T, TResult: Clone> Reduce<T, TResult> {
             }
         }
 
-        if self.batch_state.message_count == 0 {
+        if self.batch_state.message_count == 0 && !self.flush_empty_batches {
             return Ok(());
         }
 
@@ -406,4 +413,62 @@ mod tests {
         // no batches were created
         assert!(submitted_messages_clone.lock().unwrap().is_empty());
     }
+
+    fn test_reduce_with_zero_batch_size_flush() {
+        let submitted_messages = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::new()));
+        let submitted_messages_clone = submitted_messages.clone();
+
+        let partition1 = Partition::new(Topic::new("test"), 0);
+
+        let max_batch_size = 1;
+        let max_batch_time = Duration::from_secs(100);
+
+        let initial_value = Vec::new();
+        let accumulator = Arc::new(|mut acc: Vec<u64>, value: u64| {
+            acc.push(value);
+            acc
+        });
+        let compute_batch_size = |_: &_| -> usize { 0 };
+
+        let next_step = NextStep {
+            submitted: submitted_messages,
+        };
+
+        let mut strategy = Reduce::new(
+            next_step,
+            accumulator,
+            initial_value,
+            max_batch_size,
+            max_batch_time,
+            compute_batch_size,
+        )
+        .flush_empty_batches(true);
+
+        for i in 0..3 {
+            let msg = Message {
+                inner_message: InnerMessage::BrokerMessage(BrokerMessage::new(
+                    i,
+                    partition1,
+                    i,
+                    chrono::Utc::now(),
+                )),
+            };
+            strategy.submit(msg).unwrap();
+            let _ = strategy.poll();
+        }
+
+        // since all submitted values had length 0, do not forward any messages to the next step
+        // until timeout (which will not happen as part of this test)
+        assert_eq!(strategy.batch_state.message_count, 0);
+
+        strategy.close();
+        let _ = strategy.join(None);
+
+        // "empty" batch was created -- flushed even though the batch size callback claims it is of
+        // size zero
+        assert_eq!(
+            *submitted_messages_clone.lock().unwrap(),
+            vec![vec![0, 1, 2]]
+        );
+    }
 }