diff --git a/lib/internal/streams/BufferList.js b/lib/internal/streams/BufferList.js
index 76da94bc83d977..9d3badf5b378bd 100644
--- a/lib/internal/streams/BufferList.js
+++ b/lib/internal/streams/BufferList.js
@@ -58,8 +58,6 @@ BufferList.prototype.join = function(s) {
 BufferList.prototype.concat = function(n) {
   if (this.length === 0)
     return Buffer.alloc(0);
-  if (this.length === 1)
-    return this.head.data;
   const ret = Buffer.allocUnsafe(n >>> 0);
   var p = this.head;
   var i = 0;
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-stream-buffer-list.js b/test/parallel/test-stream-buffer-list.js
index ddbff452de4be9..6ea359b458f61b 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-stream-buffer-list.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-stream-buffer-list.js
@@ -14,14 +14,19 @@ assert.strictEqual(emptyList.join(','), '');
 
 assert.deepStrictEqual(emptyList.concat(0), Buffer.alloc(0));
 
+const buf = Buffer.from('foo');
+
 // Test buffer list with one element.
 const list = new BufferList();
-list.push('foo');
+list.push(buf);
+
+const copy = list.concat(3);
 
-assert.strictEqual(list.concat(1), 'foo');
+assert.notStrictEqual(copy, buf);
+assert.deepStrictEqual(copy, buf);
 
 assert.strictEqual(list.join(','), 'foo');
 
 const shifted = list.shift();
-assert.strictEqual(shifted, 'foo');
+assert.strictEqual(shifted, buf);
 assert.deepStrictEqual(list, new BufferList());