diff --git a/src/test/ReactTestUtils.js b/src/test/ReactTestUtils.js
index 4c5695b8e2..b3c8a9940c 100644
--- a/src/test/ReactTestUtils.js
+++ b/src/test/ReactTestUtils.js
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ var EventPluginHub = require('EventPluginHub');
 var EventPropagators = require('EventPropagators');
 var React = require('React');
 var ReactElement = require('ReactElement');
+var ReactEmptyComponent = require('ReactEmptyComponent');
 var ReactBrowserEventEmitter = require('ReactBrowserEventEmitter');
 var ReactCompositeComponent = require('ReactCompositeComponent');
 var ReactInstanceHandles = require('ReactInstanceHandles');
@@ -323,13 +324,16 @@ var ReactShallowRenderer = function() {
 ReactShallowRenderer.prototype.getRenderOutput = function() {
   return (
     (this._instance && this._instance._renderedComponent &&
-     this._instance._renderedComponent._currentElement)
+     this._instance._renderedComponent._renderedOutput)
     || null
   );
 };
 
 var NoopInternalComponent = function(element) {
-  this._currentElement = element;
+  this._renderedOutput = element;
+  this._currentElement = element === null || element === false ?
+    ReactEmptyComponent.emptyElement :
+    element;
 }
 
 NoopInternalComponent.prototype = {
@@ -338,7 +342,10 @@ NoopInternalComponent.prototype = {
   },
 
   receiveComponent: function(element) {
-    this._currentElement = element;
+    this._renderedOutput = element;
+    this._currentElement = element === null || element === false ?
+      ReactEmptyComponent.emptyElement :
+      element;
   },
 
   unmountComponent: function() {
diff --git a/src/test/__tests__/ReactTestUtils-test.js b/src/test/__tests__/ReactTestUtils-test.js
index c29968202e..7c091bc994 100644
--- a/src/test/__tests__/ReactTestUtils-test.js
+++ b/src/test/__tests__/ReactTestUtils-test.js
@@ -57,6 +57,21 @@ describe('ReactTestUtils', function() {
     ]);
   });
 
+  it('can shallow render to null', function() {
+    var SomeComponent = React.createClass({
+      render: function() {
+        return null;
+      }
+    });
+
+    var shallowRenderer = ReactTestUtils.createRenderer();
+    shallowRenderer.render(<SomeComponent />, {});
+
+    var result = shallowRenderer.getRenderOutput();
+
+    expect(result).toBe(null);
+  });
+
   it('lets you update shallowly rendered components', function() {
     var SomeComponent = React.createClass({
       getInitialState: function() {