diff --git a/mealie/db/models/recipe/recipe.py b/mealie/db/models/recipe/recipe.py
index 648011a6..2ec48ed1 100644
--- a/mealie/db/models/recipe/recipe.py
+++ b/mealie/db/models/recipe/recipe.py
@@ -146,10 +146,10 @@ class RecipeModel(SqlAlchemyBase, BaseMixins):
     ) -> None:
         self.nutrition = Nutrition(**nutrition) if nutrition else Nutrition()
 
-        if recipe_instructions:
+        if recipe_instructions is not None:
             self.recipe_instructions = [RecipeInstruction(**step, session=session) for step in recipe_instructions]
 
-        if recipe_ingredient:
+        if recipe_ingredient is not None:
             self.recipe_ingredient = [RecipeIngredient(**ingr, session=session) for ingr in recipe_ingredient]
 
         if assets:
diff --git a/tests/integration_tests/user_recipe_tests/test_recipe_crud.py b/tests/integration_tests/user_recipe_tests/test_recipe_crud.py
index a85da206..38e02090 100644
--- a/tests/integration_tests/user_recipe_tests/test_recipe_crud.py
+++ b/tests/integration_tests/user_recipe_tests/test_recipe_crud.py
@@ -273,6 +273,36 @@ def test_duplicate(api_client: TestClient, recipe_data: RecipeSiteTestCase, uniq
         assert copy_info(original_ingredients[i]) == copy_info(edited_ingredients[i])
 
 
+# This needs to happen after test_duplicate,
+# otherwise that one will run into problems with comparing the instruction/ingredient lists
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("recipe_data", recipe_test_data)
+def test_update_with_empty_relationship(
+    api_client: TestClient,
+    recipe_data: RecipeSiteTestCase,
+    unique_user: TestUser,
+):
+    recipe_url = api_routes.recipes_slug(recipe_data.expected_slug)
+    response = api_client.get(recipe_url, headers=unique_user.token)
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+
+    recipe = json.loads(response.text)
+
+    recipe["recipeInstructions"] = []
+    recipe["recipeIngredient"] = []
+
+    response = api_client.put(recipe_url, json=utils.jsonify(recipe), headers=unique_user.token)
+
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+    assert json.loads(response.text).get("slug") == recipe_data.expected_slug
+
+    response = api_client.get(recipe_url, headers=unique_user.token)
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+    recipe = json.loads(response.text)
+
+    assert recipe["recipeInstructions"] == []
+    assert recipe["recipeIngredient"] == []
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("recipe_data", recipe_test_data)
 def test_rename(api_client: TestClient, recipe_data: RecipeSiteTestCase, unique_user: TestUser):
     recipe_url = api_routes.recipes_slug(recipe_data.expected_slug)