diff --git a/distributed/protocol/tests/test_pickle.py b/distributed/protocol/tests/test_pickle.py
index a25d499ea0f..a4ab8435646 100644
--- a/distributed/protocol/tests/test_pickle.py
+++ b/distributed/protocol/tests/test_pickle.py
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 
 from distributed.protocol import deserialize, serialize
 from distributed.protocol.pickle import HIGHEST_PROTOCOL, dumps, loads
-from distributed.protocol.serialize import pickle_dumps
 
 if sys.version_info < (3, 8):
     try:
@@ -19,6 +18,17 @@
     import pickle
 
 
+class MemoryviewHolder:
+    def __init__(self, mv):
+        self.mv = memoryview(mv)
+
+    def __reduce_ex__(self, protocol):
+        if protocol >= 5:
+            return MemoryviewHolder, (pickle.PickleBuffer(self.mv),)
+        else:
+            return MemoryviewHolder, (self.mv.tobytes(),)
+
+
 def test_pickle_data():
     data = [1, b"123", "123", [123], {}, set()]
     for d in data:
@@ -27,16 +37,6 @@ def test_pickle_data():
 
 
 def test_pickle_out_of_band():
-    class MemoryviewHolder:
-        def __init__(self, mv):
-            self.mv = memoryview(mv)
-
-        def __reduce_ex__(self, protocol):
-            if protocol >= 5:
-                return MemoryviewHolder, (pickle.PickleBuffer(self.mv),)
-            else:
-                return MemoryviewHolder, (self.mv.tobytes(),)
-
     mv = memoryview(b"123")
     mvh = MemoryviewHolder(mv)
 
@@ -73,13 +73,29 @@ def __reduce_ex__(self, protocol):
 
 
 def test_pickle_empty():
-    np = pytest.importorskip("numpy")
-    x = np.arange(2)[0:0]  # Empty view
-    header, frames = pickle_dumps(x)
-    header["writeable"] = [False] * len(frames)
+    x = MemoryviewHolder(bytearray())  # Empty view
+    header, frames = serialize(x, serializers=("pickle",))
+
+    assert header["serializer"] == "pickle"
+    assert len(frames) >= 1
+    assert isinstance(frames[0], bytes)
+
+    if HIGHEST_PROTOCOL >= 5:
+        assert len(frames) == 2
+        assert len(header["writeable"]) == 1
+
+        header["writeable"] = (False,) * len(frames)
+    else:
+        assert len(frames) == 1
+        assert len(header["writeable"]) == 0
+
     y = deserialize(header, frames)
-    assert memoryview(y).nbytes == 0
-    assert memoryview(y).readonly
+
+    assert isinstance(y, MemoryviewHolder)
+    assert isinstance(y.mv, memoryview)
+    assert y.mv == x.mv
+    assert y.mv.nbytes == 0
+    assert y.mv.readonly
 
 
 def test_pickle_numpy():