diff --git a/lib/_stream_readable.js b/lib/_stream_readable.js
index d1a17fd066076d..3e73fb2d62221c 100644
--- a/lib/_stream_readable.js
+++ b/lib/_stream_readable.js
@@ -570,7 +570,8 @@ function maybeReadMore(stream, state) {
 function maybeReadMore_(stream, state) {
   var len = state.length;
   while (!state.reading && !state.ended &&
-         state.length < state.highWaterMark) {
+         (state.length < state.highWaterMark ||
+         state.flowing && state.length === 0)) {
     debug('maybeReadMore read 0');
     stream.read(0);
     if (len === state.length)
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-stream-readable-hwm-0-async.js b/test/parallel/test-stream-readable-hwm-0-async.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..ac64524feb33d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-stream-readable-hwm-0-async.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const common = require('../common');
+
+// This test ensures that Readable stream will call _read() for streams
+// with highWaterMark === 0 upon .read(0) instead of just trying to
+// emit 'readable' event.
+
+const { Readable } = require('stream');
+
+let count = 5;
+
+const r = new Readable({
+  // Called 6 times: First 5 return data, last one signals end of stream.
+  read: common.mustCall(() => {
+    process.nextTick(common.mustCall(() => {
+      if (count--)
+        r.push('a');
+      else
+        r.push(null);
+    }));
+  }, 6),
+  highWaterMark: 0,
+});
+
+r.on('end', common.mustCall());
+r.on('data', common.mustCall(5));