diff --git a/pkg/engine/engine.go b/pkg/engine/engine.go
index 9f212ba09..118733b6c 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/engine.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/engine.go
@@ -161,7 +161,8 @@ func (e *Engine) alterFuncMap(t *template.Template, referenceTpls map[string]ren
 				log.Printf("[INFO] Missing required value: %s", warn)
 				return val, nil
 			}
-			return val, fmt.Errorf(warn)
+			// Convert nil to "" in case required is piped into other functions
+			return "", fmt.Errorf(warn)
 		} else if _, ok := val.(string); ok {
 			if val == "" {
 				if e.LintMode {