diff --git a/routing/pathfind.go b/routing/pathfind.go
index f2e0b134..c3035711 100644
--- a/routing/pathfind.go
+++ b/routing/pathfind.go
@@ -326,9 +326,12 @@ func newRoute(amtToSend, feeLimit lnwire.MilliSatoshi, sourceVertex Vertex,
 	}
 
 	// With the base routing data expressed as hops, build the full route
-	newRoute := NewRouteFromHops(
+	newRoute, err := NewRouteFromHops(
 		nextIncomingAmount, totalTimeLock, sourceVertex, hops,
 	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 
 	// Invalidate this route if its total fees exceed our fee limit.
 	if newRoute.TotalFees > feeLimit {
@@ -344,7 +347,11 @@ func newRoute(amtToSend, feeLimit lnwire.MilliSatoshi, sourceVertex Vertex,
 // information to perform the payment. It infers fee amounts and populates the
 // node, chan and prev/next hop maps.
 func NewRouteFromHops(amtToSend lnwire.MilliSatoshi, timeLock uint32,
-	sourceVertex Vertex, hops []*Hop) *Route {
+	sourceVertex Vertex, hops []*Hop) (*Route, error) {
+
+	if len(hops) == 0 {
+		return nil, ErrNoRouteHopsProvided
+	}
 
 	// First, we'll create a route struct and populate it with the fields
 	// for which the values are provided as arguments of this function.
@@ -369,7 +376,7 @@ func NewRouteFromHops(amtToSend lnwire.MilliSatoshi, timeLock uint32,
 		route.chanIndex[hop.ChannelID] = struct{}{}
 	}
 
-	return route
+	return route, nil
 }
 
 // Vertex is a simple alias for the serialization of a compressed Bitcoin
diff --git a/routing/pathfind_test.go b/routing/pathfind_test.go
index 383e0c2f..81278f40 100644
--- a/routing/pathfind_test.go
+++ b/routing/pathfind_test.go
@@ -1903,3 +1903,15 @@ func assertExpectedPath(t *testing.T, path []*channeldb.ChannelEdgePolicy,
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// TestNewRouteFromEmptyHops tests that the NewRouteFromHops function returns an
+// error when the hop list is empty.
+func TestNewRouteFromEmptyHops(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	var source Vertex
+	_, err := NewRouteFromHops(0, 0, source, []*Hop{})
+	if err != ErrNoRouteHopsProvided {
+		t.Fatalf("expected empty hops error: instead got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/routing/router_test.go b/routing/router_test.go
index c184c3ce..ebe7d545 100644
--- a/routing/router_test.go
+++ b/routing/router_test.go
@@ -421,10 +421,13 @@ func TestChannelUpdateValidation(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
-	route := NewRouteFromHops(
+	route, err := NewRouteFromHops(
 		lnwire.MilliSatoshi(10000), 100,
 		NewVertex(ctx.aliases["a"]), hops,
 	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unable to create route: %v", err)
+	}
 
 	// Set up a channel update message with an invalid signature to be
 	// returned to the sender.
diff --git a/rpcserver.go b/rpcserver.go
index 64e19005..62bb30fc 100644
--- a/rpcserver.go
+++ b/rpcserver.go
@@ -3848,12 +3848,15 @@ func (r *rpcServer) unmarshallRoute(rpcroute *lnrpc.Route,
 		prevNodePubKey = routeHop.PubKeyBytes
 	}
 
-	route := routing.NewRouteFromHops(
+	route, err := routing.NewRouteFromHops(
 		lnwire.MilliSatoshi(rpcroute.TotalAmtMsat),
 		rpcroute.TotalTimeLock,
 		sourceNode.PubKeyBytes,
 		hops,
 	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 
 	return route, nil
 }