diff --git a/serde_codegen/src/ser.rs b/serde_codegen/src/ser.rs
index d3c91396..8fdc3576 100644
--- a/serde_codegen/src/ser.rs
+++ b/serde_codegen/src/ser.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use syntax::ast::{self, Ident, MetaItem};
 use syntax::codemap::Span;
 use syntax::ext::base::{Annotatable, ExtCtxt};
 use syntax::ptr::P;
+use syntax::tokenstream::TokenTree;
 
 use bound;
 use span;
@@ -226,9 +227,10 @@ fn serialize_tuple_struct(
 
     let type_name = name_expr(builder, item_attrs.name());
     let len = serialize_stmts.len();
+    let let_mut = mut_if(cx, len > 0);
 
     quote_block!(cx, {
-        let mut state = try!(_serializer.serialize_tuple_struct($type_name, $len));
+        let $let_mut state = try!(_serializer.serialize_tuple_struct($type_name, $len));
         $serialize_stmts
         _serializer.serialize_tuple_struct_end(state)
     }).unwrap()
@@ -253,8 +255,14 @@ fn serialize_struct(
     );
 
     let type_name = name_expr(builder, item_attrs.name());
-    let len = fields.iter()
+
+    let mut serialized_fields = fields.iter()
         .filter(|&field| !field.attrs.skip_serializing())
+        .peekable();
+
+    let let_mut = mut_if(cx, serialized_fields.peek().is_some());
+
+    let len = serialized_fields
         .map(|field| {
             let ident = field.ident.expect("struct has unnamed fields");
             let field_expr = quote_expr!(cx, &self.$ident);
@@ -267,7 +275,7 @@ fn serialize_struct(
         .fold(quote_expr!(cx, 0), |sum, expr| quote_expr!(cx, $sum + $expr));
 
     quote_block!(cx, {
-        let mut state = try!(_serializer.serialize_struct($type_name, $len));
+        let $let_mut state = try!(_serializer.serialize_struct($type_name, $len));
         $serialize_fields
         _serializer.serialize_struct_end(state)
     }).unwrap()
@@ -458,9 +466,10 @@ fn serialize_tuple_variant(
     );
 
     let len = serialize_stmts.len();
+    let let_mut = mut_if(cx, len > 0);
 
     quote_block!(cx, {
-        let mut state = try!(_serializer.serialize_tuple_variant($type_name, $variant_index, $variant_name, $len));
+        let $let_mut state = try!(_serializer.serialize_tuple_variant($type_name, $variant_index, $variant_name, $len));
         $serialize_stmts
         _serializer.serialize_tuple_variant_end(state)
     }).unwrap()
@@ -488,8 +497,14 @@ fn serialize_struct_variant(
     );
 
     let item_name = name_expr(builder, item_attrs.name());
-    let len = fields.iter()
+
+    let mut serialized_fields = fields.iter()
         .filter(|&field| !field.attrs.skip_serializing())
+        .peekable();
+
+    let let_mut = mut_if(cx, serialized_fields.peek().is_some());
+
+    let len = serialized_fields
         .map(|field| {
             let ident = field.ident.expect("struct has unnamed fields");
             let field_expr = quote_expr!(cx, $ident);
@@ -502,7 +517,7 @@ fn serialize_struct_variant(
         .fold(quote_expr!(cx, 0), |sum, expr| quote_expr!(cx, $sum + $expr));
 
     quote_block!(cx, {
-        let mut state = try!(_serializer.serialize_struct_variant(
+        let $let_mut state = try!(_serializer.serialize_struct_variant(
             $item_name,
             $variant_index,
             $variant_name,
@@ -641,3 +656,17 @@ fn name_expr(
 ) -> P<ast::Expr> {
     builder.expr().str(name.serialize_name())
 }
+
+// Serialization of an empty struct results in code like:
+//
+//     let mut state = try!(serializer.serialize_struct("S", 0));
+//     serializer.serialize_struct_end(state)
+//
+// where we want to omit the `mut` to avoid a warning.
+fn mut_if(cx: &ExtCtxt, is_mut: bool) -> Vec<TokenTree> {
+    if is_mut {
+        quote_tokens!(cx, mut)
+    } else {
+        Vec::new()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/testing/tests/test_gen.rs b/testing/tests/test_gen.rs
index 7d648f57..3e2fe382 100644
--- a/testing/tests/test_gen.rs
+++ b/testing/tests/test_gen.rs
@@ -187,6 +187,16 @@ fn test_gen() {
     #[serde(bound(deserialize = "T::Owned: Deserialize"))]
     struct CowT<'a, T: ?Sized + 'a + ToOwned>(Cow<'a, T>);
     assert::<CowT<str>>();
+
+    #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+    struct EmptyStruct {}
+    assert::<EmptyStruct>();
+
+    #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+    enum EmptyEnumVariant {
+        EmptyStruct {},
+    }
+    assert::<EmptyEnumVariant>();
 }
 
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////