diff --git a/source/common/upstream/load_balancer_impl.cc b/source/common/upstream/load_balancer_impl.cc
index 5bc8781b3a06..4e3e284e483a 100644
--- a/source/common/upstream/load_balancer_impl.cc
+++ b/source/common/upstream/load_balancer_impl.cc
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ uint32_t ZoneAwareLoadBalancerBase::tryChooseLocalLocalityHosts(const HostSet& h
   return i;
 }
 
-ZoneAwareLoadBalancerBase::HostsSource
+absl::optional<ZoneAwareLoadBalancerBase::HostsSource>
 ZoneAwareLoadBalancerBase::hostSourceToUse(LoadBalancerContext* context) {
   auto host_set_and_source = chooseHostSet(context);
 
@@ -554,11 +554,11 @@ ZoneAwareLoadBalancerBase::hostSourceToUse(LoadBalancerContext* context) {
   if (per_priority_panic_[hosts_source.priority_]) {
     stats_.lb_healthy_panic_.inc();
     if (disable_cluster_on_panic_) {
-      hosts_source.source_type_ = HostsSource::SourceType::NoHosts;
+      return absl::nullopt;
     } else {
       hosts_source.source_type_ = HostsSource::SourceType::AllHosts;
+      return hosts_source;
     }
-    return hosts_source;
   }
 
   // If we're doing locality weighted balancing, pick locality.
@@ -594,11 +594,11 @@ ZoneAwareLoadBalancerBase::hostSourceToUse(LoadBalancerContext* context) {
     // If the local Envoy instances are in global panic, and we should not disable the cluster, do
     // not do locality based routing.
     if (disable_cluster_on_panic_) {
-      hosts_source.source_type_ = HostsSource::SourceType::NoHosts;
+      return absl::nullopt;
     } else {
       hosts_source.source_type_ = sourceType(host_availability);
+      return hosts_source;
     }
-    return hosts_source;
   }
 
   hosts_source.source_type_ = localitySourceType(host_availability);
@@ -619,8 +619,6 @@ const HostVector& ZoneAwareLoadBalancerBase::hostSourceToHosts(HostsSource hosts
     return host_set.healthyHostsPerLocality().get()[hosts_source.locality_index_];
   case HostsSource::SourceType::LocalityDegradedHosts:
     return host_set.degradedHostsPerLocality().get()[hosts_source.locality_index_];
-  case HostsSource::SourceType::NoHosts:
-    return dummy_empty_host_vector;
   default:
     NOT_REACHED_GCOVR_EXCL_LINE;
   }
@@ -707,13 +705,14 @@ void EdfLoadBalancerBase::refresh(uint32_t priority) {
         HostsSource(priority, HostsSource::SourceType::LocalityDegradedHosts, locality_index),
         host_set->degradedHostsPerLocality().get()[locality_index]);
   }
-  add_hosts_source(HostsSource(priority, HostsSource::SourceType::NoHosts),
-                   dummy_empty_host_vector);
 }
 
 HostConstSharedPtr EdfLoadBalancerBase::chooseHostOnce(LoadBalancerContext* context) {
-  const HostsSource hosts_source = hostSourceToUse(context);
-  auto scheduler_it = scheduler_.find(hosts_source);
+  const absl::optional<HostsSource> hosts_source = hostSourceToUse(context);
+  if (!hosts_source) {
+    return nullptr;
+  }
+  auto scheduler_it = scheduler_.find(*hosts_source);
   // We should always have a scheduler for any return value from
   // hostSourceToUse() via the construction in refresh();
   ASSERT(scheduler_it != scheduler_.end());
@@ -730,11 +729,11 @@ HostConstSharedPtr EdfLoadBalancerBase::chooseHostOnce(LoadBalancerContext* cont
     }
     return host;
   } else {
-    const HostVector& hosts_to_use = hostSourceToHosts(hosts_source);
+    const HostVector& hosts_to_use = hostSourceToHosts(*hosts_source);
     if (hosts_to_use.empty()) {
       return nullptr;
     }
-    return unweightedHostPick(hosts_to_use, hosts_source);
+    return unweightedHostPick(hosts_to_use, *hosts_source);
   }
 }
 
@@ -762,7 +761,12 @@ HostConstSharedPtr LeastRequestLoadBalancer::unweightedHostPick(const HostVector
 }
 
 HostConstSharedPtr RandomLoadBalancer::chooseHostOnce(LoadBalancerContext* context) {
-  const HostVector& hosts_to_use = hostSourceToHosts(hostSourceToUse(context));
+  const absl::optional<HostsSource> hosts_source = hostSourceToUse(context);
+  if (!hosts_source) {
+    return nullptr;
+  }
+
+  const HostVector& hosts_to_use = hostSourceToHosts(*hosts_source);
   if (hosts_to_use.empty()) {
     return nullptr;
   }
diff --git a/source/common/upstream/load_balancer_impl.h b/source/common/upstream/load_balancer_impl.h
index 6bc0fdd9074b..fc49931136c8 100644
--- a/source/common/upstream/load_balancer_impl.h
+++ b/source/common/upstream/load_balancer_impl.h
@@ -180,8 +180,6 @@ class ZoneAwareLoadBalancerBase : public LoadBalancerBase {
       LocalityHealthyHosts,
       // Degraded hosts for locality @ locality_index.
       LocalityDegradedHosts,
-      // No hosts in the host set.
-      NoHosts,
     };
 
     HostsSource() = default;
@@ -189,7 +187,7 @@ class ZoneAwareLoadBalancerBase : public LoadBalancerBase {
     HostsSource(uint32_t priority, SourceType source_type)
         : priority_(priority), source_type_(source_type) {
       ASSERT(source_type == SourceType::AllHosts || source_type == SourceType::HealthyHosts ||
-             source_type == SourceType::DegradedHosts || source_type == SourceType::NoHosts);
+             source_type == SourceType::DegradedHosts);
     }
 
     HostsSource(uint32_t priority, SourceType source_type, uint32_t locality_index)
@@ -226,15 +224,13 @@ class ZoneAwareLoadBalancerBase : public LoadBalancerBase {
   /**
    * Pick the host source to use, doing zone aware routing when the hosts are sufficiently healthy.
    */
-  HostsSource hostSourceToUse(LoadBalancerContext* context);
+  absl::optional<HostsSource> hostSourceToUse(LoadBalancerContext* context);
 
   /**
    * Index into priority_set via hosts source descriptor.
    */
   const HostVector& hostSourceToHosts(HostsSource hosts_source);
 
-  const HostVector dummy_empty_host_vector;
-
 private:
   enum class LocalityRoutingState {
     // Locality based routing is off.