diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/instructions.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/instructions.ts
index ba586dfad2..c577aa5200 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/instructions.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/instructions.ts
@@ -1272,14 +1272,15 @@ export function text(index: number, value?: any): void {
  * @param value Stringified value to write.
  */
 export function textBinding<T>(index: number, value: T | NO_CHANGE): void {
-  ngDevMode && assertDataInRange(index);
-  let existingNode = data[index] as LTextNode;
-  ngDevMode && assertNotNull(existingNode, 'LNode should exist');
-  ngDevMode && assertNotNull(existingNode.native, 'native element should exist');
-  ngDevMode && ngDevMode.rendererSetText++;
-  value !== NO_CHANGE &&
-      (isProceduralRenderer(renderer) ? renderer.setValue(existingNode.native, stringify(value)) :
-                                        existingNode.native.textContent = stringify(value));
+  if (value !== NO_CHANGE) {
+    ngDevMode && assertDataInRange(index);
+    const existingNode = data[index] as LTextNode;
+    ngDevMode && assertNotNull(existingNode, 'LNode should exist');
+    ngDevMode && assertNotNull(existingNode.native, 'native element should exist');
+    ngDevMode && ngDevMode.rendererSetText++;
+    isProceduralRenderer(renderer) ? renderer.setValue(existingNode.native, stringify(value)) :
+                                     existingNode.native.textContent = stringify(value);
+  }
 }
 
 //////////////////////////
diff --git a/packages/core/test/render3/integration_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/render3/integration_spec.ts
index 7fea1a24f3..257abc1938 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/render3/integration_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/render3/integration_spec.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,12 @@ describe('render3 integration test', () => {
 
       expect(renderToHtml(Template, 'benoit')).toEqual('benoit');
       expect(renderToHtml(Template, undefined)).toEqual('');
+      expect(ngDevMode).toHaveProperties({
+        firstTemplatePass: 0,
+        tNode: 0,
+        tView: 1,
+        rendererSetText: 2,
+      });
     });
 
     it('should render "null" as "" when used with `bind()`', () => {
@@ -82,6 +88,12 @@ describe('render3 integration test', () => {
 
       expect(renderToHtml(Template, 'benoit')).toEqual('benoit');
       expect(renderToHtml(Template, null)).toEqual('');
+      expect(ngDevMode).toHaveProperties({
+        firstTemplatePass: 0,
+        tNode: 0,
+        tView: 1,
+        rendererSetText: 2,
+      });
     });
 
     it('should support creation-time values in text nodes', () => {
@@ -95,6 +107,12 @@ describe('render3 integration test', () => {
       }
       expect(renderToHtml(Template, 'once')).toEqual('once');
       expect(renderToHtml(Template, 'twice')).toEqual('once');
+      expect(ngDevMode).toHaveProperties({
+        firstTemplatePass: 0,
+        tNode: 0,
+        tView: 1,
+        rendererSetText: 1,
+      });
     });
 
   });