diff --git a/feature/search/src/main/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchScreen.kt b/feature/search/src/main/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchScreen.kt
index ff91941a8..b617f98a9 100644
--- a/feature/search/src/main/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchScreen.kt
+++ b/feature/search/src/main/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchScreen.kt
@@ -522,6 +522,7 @@ private fun SearchTextField(
             .focusRequester(focusRequester)
             .onKeyEvent {
                 if (it.key == Key.Enter) {
+                    if (searchQuery.isBlank()) return@onKeyEvent false
                     onSearchExplicitlyTriggered()
                     true
                 } else {
@@ -536,6 +537,7 @@ private fun SearchTextField(
         ),
         keyboardActions = KeyboardActions(
             onSearch = {
+                if (searchQuery.isBlank()) return@KeyboardActions
                 onSearchExplicitlyTriggered()
             },
         ),
diff --git a/feature/search/src/main/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchViewModel.kt b/feature/search/src/main/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchViewModel.kt
index 6c2af240c..36947880e 100644
--- a/feature/search/src/main/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchViewModel.kt
+++ b/feature/search/src/main/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchViewModel.kt
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ class SearchViewModel @Inject constructor(
                     flowOf(SearchResultUiState.SearchNotReady)
                 } else {
                     searchQuery.flatMapLatest { query ->
-                        if (query.length < SEARCH_QUERY_MIN_LENGTH) {
+                        if (query.trim().length < SEARCH_QUERY_MIN_LENGTH) {
                             flowOf(SearchResultUiState.EmptyQuery)
                         } else {
                             getSearchContentsUseCase(query)
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ class SearchViewModel @Inject constructor(
      * search query in the search text field, defining this method.
      */
     fun onSearchTriggered(query: String) {
+        if (query.isBlank()) return
         viewModelScope.launch {
             recentSearchRepository.insertOrReplaceRecentSearch(searchQuery = query)
         }
diff --git a/feature/search/src/test/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchViewModelTest.kt b/feature/search/src/test/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchViewModelTest.kt
index a62965b52..1b866cec2 100644
--- a/feature/search/src/test/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchViewModelTest.kt
+++ b/feature/search/src/test/kotlin/com/google/samples/apps/nowinandroid/feature/search/SearchViewModelTest.kt
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import org.junit.Rule
 import org.junit.Test
 import kotlin.test.assertEquals
 import kotlin.test.assertIs
+import kotlin.test.assertNull
 
 /**
  * To learn more about how this test handles Flows created with stateIn, see
@@ -122,6 +123,43 @@ class SearchViewModelTest {
         assertEquals(SearchNotReady, viewModel.searchResultUiState.value)
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun emptySearchText_isNotAddedToRecentSearches() = runTest {
+        viewModel.onSearchTriggered("")
+
+        val recentSearchQueriesStream = getRecentQueryUseCase()
+        val recentSearchQueries = recentSearchQueriesStream.first()
+        val recentSearchQuery = recentSearchQueries.firstOrNull()
+
+        assertNull(recentSearchQuery)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun searchTextWithThreeSpaces_isEmptyQuery() = runTest {
+        searchContentsRepository.addNewsResources(newsResourcesTestData)
+        searchContentsRepository.addTopics(topicsTestData)
+        val collectJob = launch(UnconfinedTestDispatcher()) { viewModel.searchResultUiState.collect() }
+
+        viewModel.onSearchQueryChanged("   ")
+
+        assertIs<EmptyQuery>(viewModel.searchResultUiState.value)
+
+        collectJob.cancel()
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun searchTextWithThreeSpacesAndOneLetter_isEmptyQuery() = runTest {
+        searchContentsRepository.addNewsResources(newsResourcesTestData)
+        searchContentsRepository.addTopics(topicsTestData)
+        val collectJob = launch(UnconfinedTestDispatcher()) { viewModel.searchResultUiState.collect() }
+
+        viewModel.onSearchQueryChanged("   a")
+
+        assertIs<EmptyQuery>(viewModel.searchResultUiState.value)
+
+        collectJob.cancel()
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun whenToggleNewsResourceSavedIsCalled_bookmarkStateIsUpdated() = runTest {
         val newsResourceId = "123"