diff --git a/eland/operations.py b/eland/operations.py
index 4464000c..48c33448 100644
--- a/eland/operations.py
+++ b/eland/operations.py
@@ -1234,13 +1234,14 @@ def _es_results(
         if sort_params:
             body["sort"] = [sort_params]
 
-        es_results = list(
-            search_yield_hits(
+        es_results: List[Dict[str, Any]] = sum(
+            _search_yield_hits(
                 query_compiler=query_compiler, body=body, max_number_of_hits=result_size
-            )
+            ),
+            [],
         )
 
-        _, df = query_compiler._es_results_to_pandas(
+        df = query_compiler._es_results_to_pandas(
             results=es_results, show_progress=show_progress
         )
         df = self._apply_df_post_processing(df, post_processing)
@@ -1447,14 +1448,16 @@ def quantile_to_percentile(quantile: Union[int, float]) -> float:
     return float(min(100, max(0, quantile * 100)))
 
 
-def search_yield_hits(
+def _search_yield_hits(
     query_compiler: "QueryCompiler",
     body: Dict[str, Any],
     max_number_of_hits: Optional[int],
-) -> Generator[Dict[str, Any], None, None]:
+) -> Generator[List[Dict[str, Any]], None, None]:
     """
     This is a generator used to initialize point in time API and query the
-    search API and return generator which yields an individual documents
+    search API and return generator which yields batches of hits as they
+    come in. No empty batches will be yielded, if there are no hits then
+    no batches will be yielded instead.
 
     Parameters
     ----------
@@ -1469,8 +1472,8 @@ def search_yield_hits(
     Examples
     --------
     >>> results = list(search_yield_hits(query_compiler, body, 2)) # doctest: +SKIP
-    [{'_index': 'flights', '_type': '_doc', '_id': '0', '_score': None, '_source': {...}, 'sort': [...]},
-    {'_index': 'flights', '_type': '_doc', '_id': '1', '_score': None, '_source': {...}, 'sort': [...]}]
+    [[{'_index': 'flights', '_type': '_doc', '_id': '0', '_score': None, '_source': {...}, 'sort': [...]},
+      {'_index': 'flights', '_type': '_doc', '_id': '1', '_score': None, '_source': {...}, 'sort': [...]}]]
     """
     # Make a copy of 'body' to avoid mutating it outside this function.
     body = body.copy()
@@ -1500,7 +1503,7 @@ def _search_with_scroll(
     query_compiler: "QueryCompiler",
     body: Dict[str, Any],
     max_number_of_hits: Optional[int],
-) -> Generator[Dict[str, Any], None, None]:
+) -> Generator[List[Dict[str, Any]], None, None]:
     # No documents, no reason to send a search.
     if max_number_of_hits == 0:
         return
@@ -1533,8 +1536,11 @@ def _search_with_scroll(
                 hits_to_yield = min(len(hits), max_number_of_hits - hits_yielded)
 
             # Yield the hits we need to and then track the total number.
-            yield from hits[:hits_to_yield]
-            hits_yielded += hits_to_yield
+            # Never yield an empty list as that makes things simpler for
+            # downstream consumers.
+            if hits and hits_to_yield > 0:
+                yield hits[:hits_to_yield]
+                hits_yielded += hits_to_yield
 
             # Retrieve the next set of results
             resp = client.scroll(
@@ -1555,7 +1561,7 @@ def _search_with_pit_and_search_after(
     query_compiler: "QueryCompiler",
     body: Dict[str, Any],
     max_number_of_hits: Optional[int],
-) -> Generator[Dict[str, Any], None, None]:
+) -> Generator[List[Dict[str, Any]], None, None]:
 
     # No documents, no reason to send a search.
     if max_number_of_hits == 0:
@@ -1602,8 +1608,11 @@ def _search_with_pit_and_search_after(
                 hits_to_yield = min(len(hits), max_number_of_hits - hits_yielded)
 
             # Yield the hits we need to and then track the total number.
-            yield from hits[:hits_to_yield]
-            hits_yielded += hits_to_yield
+            # Never yield an empty list as that makes things simpler for
+            # downstream consumers.
+            if hits and hits_to_yield > 0:
+                yield hits[:hits_to_yield]
+                hits_yielded += hits_to_yield
 
             # Set the 'search_after' for the next request
             # to be the last sort value for this set of hits.
diff --git a/eland/query_compiler.py b/eland/query_compiler.py
index 00dda543..207d1c15 100644
--- a/eland/query_compiler.py
+++ b/eland/query_compiler.py
@@ -148,7 +148,6 @@ def es_dtypes(self) -> pd.Series:
     def _es_results_to_pandas(
         self,
         results: List[Dict[str, Any]],
-        batch_size: Optional[int] = None,
         show_progress: bool = False,
     ) -> "pd.Dataframe":
         """
@@ -239,10 +238,8 @@ def _es_results_to_pandas(
             (which isn't great)
         NOTE - using this lists is generally not a good way to use this API
         """
-        partial_result = False
-
-        if results is None:
-            return partial_result, self._empty_pd_ef()
+        if not results:
+            return self._empty_pd_ef()
 
         # This is one of the most performance critical areas of eland, and it repeatedly calls
         # self._mappings.field_name_pd_dtype and self._mappings.date_field_format
@@ -253,8 +250,7 @@ def _es_results_to_pandas(
         index = []
 
         i = 0
-        for hit in results:
-            i = i + 1
+        for i, hit in enumerate(results, 1):
 
             if "_source" in hit:
                 row = hit["_source"]
@@ -277,11 +273,6 @@ def _es_results_to_pandas(
             # flatten row to map correctly to 2D DataFrame
             rows.append(self._flatten_dict(row, field_mapping_cache))
 
-            if batch_size is not None:
-                if i >= batch_size:
-                    partial_result = True
-                    break
-
             if show_progress:
                 if i % DEFAULT_PROGRESS_REPORTING_NUM_ROWS == 0:
                     print(f"{datetime.now()}: read {i} rows")
@@ -310,7 +301,7 @@ def _es_results_to_pandas(
         if show_progress:
             print(f"{datetime.now()}: read {i} rows")
 
-        return partial_result, df
+        return df
 
     def _flatten_dict(self, y, field_mapping_cache: "FieldMappingCache"):
         out = {}