diff --git a/bigchaindb/backend/localmongodb/query.py b/bigchaindb/backend/localmongodb/query.py
index b2537659..4ffeb2d2 100644
--- a/bigchaindb/backend/localmongodb/query.py
+++ b/bigchaindb/backend/localmongodb/query.py
@@ -243,17 +243,17 @@ def store_unspent_outputs(conn, *unspent_outputs):
 
 @register_query(LocalMongoDBConnection)
 def delete_unspent_outputs(conn, *unspent_outputs):
-    cursor = conn.run(
-            conn.collection('utxos').remove(
-                {'$or': [
-                    {'$and': [
+    if unspent_outputs:
+        return conn.run(
+            conn.collection('utxos').remove({
+                '$or': [{
+                    '$and': [
                         {'transaction_id': unspent_output['transaction_id']},
-                        {'output_index': unspent_output['output_index']}
-                    ]}
-                    for unspent_output in unspent_outputs
-                ]}
-                ))
-    return cursor
+                        {'output_index': unspent_output['output_index']},
+                    ],
+                } for unspent_output in unspent_outputs]
+            })
+        )
 
 
 @register_query(LocalMongoDBConnection)
diff --git a/tests/backend/localmongodb/test_queries.py b/tests/backend/localmongodb/test_queries.py
index 8028d5f4..9357e97a 100644
--- a/tests/backend/localmongodb/test_queries.py
+++ b/tests/backend/localmongodb/test_queries.py
@@ -224,7 +224,38 @@ def test_delete_latest_block(signed_create_tx, signed_transfer_tx):
     assert query.get_block(conn, 51) is None
 
 
-def test_delete_unspent_outputs(db_context, utxoset):
+def test_delete_zero_unspent_outputs(db_context, utxoset):
+    from bigchaindb.backend import query
+    unspent_outputs, utxo_collection = utxoset
+    delete_res = query.delete_unspent_outputs(db_context.conn)
+    assert delete_res is None
+    assert utxo_collection.count() == 3
+    assert utxo_collection.find(
+        {'$or': [
+            {'transaction_id': 'a', 'output_index': 0},
+            {'transaction_id': 'b', 'output_index': 0},
+            {'transaction_id': 'a', 'output_index': 1},
+        ]}
+    ).count() == 3
+
+
+def test_delete_one_unspent_outputs(db_context, utxoset):
+    from bigchaindb.backend import query
+    unspent_outputs, utxo_collection = utxoset
+    delete_res = query.delete_unspent_outputs(db_context.conn,
+                                              unspent_outputs[0])
+    assert delete_res['n'] == 1
+    assert utxo_collection.find(
+        {'$or': [
+            {'transaction_id': 'a', 'output_index': 1},
+            {'transaction_id': 'b', 'output_index': 0},
+        ]}
+    ).count() == 2
+    assert utxo_collection.find(
+            {'transaction_id': 'a', 'output_index': 0}).count() == 0
+
+
+def test_delete_many_unspent_outputs(db_context, utxoset):
     from bigchaindb.backend import query
     unspent_outputs, utxo_collection = utxoset
     delete_res = query.delete_unspent_outputs(db_context.conn,