diff --git a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/handler/annotation/support/reactive/PayloadMethodArgumentResolver.java b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/handler/annotation/support/reactive/PayloadMethodArgumentResolver.java
index 88a1a91298..62fa3af05e 100644
--- a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/handler/annotation/support/reactive/PayloadMethodArgumentResolver.java
+++ b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/handler/annotation/support/reactive/PayloadMethodArgumentResolver.java
@@ -232,26 +232,26 @@ public class PayloadMethodArgumentResolver implements HandlerMethodArgumentResol
 			if (decoder.canDecode(elementType, mimeType)) {
 				if (adapter != null && adapter.isMultiValue()) {
 					Flux<?> flux = content
-							.concatMap(buffer -> decoder.decode(Mono.just(buffer), elementType, mimeType, hints))
+							.map(buffer -> decoder.decode(buffer, elementType, mimeType, hints))
 							.onErrorResume(ex -> Flux.error(handleReadError(parameter, message, ex)));
 					if (isContentRequired) {
 						flux = flux.switchIfEmpty(Flux.error(() -> handleMissingBody(parameter, message)));
 					}
 					if (validator != null) {
-						flux = flux.doOnNext(validator::accept);
+						flux = flux.doOnNext(validator);
 					}
 					return Mono.just(adapter.fromPublisher(flux));
 				}
 				else {
 					// Single-value (with or without reactive type wrapper)
-					Mono<?> mono = decoder
-							.decodeToMono(content.next(), targetType, mimeType, hints)
+					Mono<?> mono = content.next()
+							.map(buffer -> decoder.decode(buffer, elementType, mimeType, hints))
 							.onErrorResume(ex -> Mono.error(handleReadError(parameter, message, ex)));
 					if (isContentRequired) {
 						mono = mono.switchIfEmpty(Mono.error(() -> handleMissingBody(parameter, message)));
 					}
 					if (validator != null) {
-						mono = mono.doOnNext(validator::accept);
+						mono = mono.doOnNext(validator);
 					}
 					return (adapter != null ? Mono.just(adapter.fromPublisher(mono)) : Mono.from(mono));
 				}
diff --git a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/rsocket/DefaultRSocketRequester.java b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/rsocket/DefaultRSocketRequester.java
index 63facb327a..c112cb16bd 100644
--- a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/rsocket/DefaultRSocketRequester.java
+++ b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/rsocket/DefaultRSocketRequester.java
@@ -244,8 +244,8 @@ final class DefaultRSocketRequester implements RSocketRequester {
 			}
 
 			Decoder<?> decoder = strategies.decoder(elementType, dataMimeType);
-			return (Mono<T>) decoder.decodeToMono(
-					payloadMono.map(this::retainDataAndReleasePayload), elementType, dataMimeType, EMPTY_HINTS);
+			return (Mono<T>) payloadMono.map(this::retainDataAndReleasePayload)
+					.map(dataBuffer -> decoder.decode(dataBuffer, elementType, dataMimeType, EMPTY_HINTS));
 		}
 
 		@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
@@ -261,8 +261,8 @@ final class DefaultRSocketRequester implements RSocketRequester {
 
 			Decoder<?> decoder = strategies.decoder(elementType, dataMimeType);
 
-			return payloadFlux.map(this::retainDataAndReleasePayload).concatMap(dataBuffer ->
-					(Mono<T>) decoder.decodeToMono(Mono.just(dataBuffer), elementType, dataMimeType, EMPTY_HINTS));
+			return payloadFlux.map(this::retainDataAndReleasePayload).map(dataBuffer ->
+					(T) decoder.decode(dataBuffer, elementType, dataMimeType, EMPTY_HINTS));
 		}
 
 		private DataBuffer retainDataAndReleasePayload(Payload payload) {
diff --git a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/codec/ServerSentEventHttpMessageReader.java b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/codec/ServerSentEventHttpMessageReader.java
index d66f59c601..dba78e8ec2 100644
--- a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/codec/ServerSentEventHttpMessageReader.java
+++ b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/http/codec/ServerSentEventHttpMessageReader.java
@@ -106,10 +106,11 @@ public class ServerSentEventHttpMessageReader implements HttpMessageReader<Objec
 
 		return stringDecoder.decode(message.getBody(), STRING_TYPE, null, hints)
 				.bufferUntil(line -> line.equals(""))
-				.concatMap(lines -> buildEvent(lines, valueType, shouldWrap, hints));
+				.concatMap(lines -> Mono.justOrEmpty(buildEvent(lines, valueType, shouldWrap, hints)));
 	}
 
-	private Mono<?> buildEvent(List<String> lines, ResolvableType valueType, boolean shouldWrap,
+	@Nullable
+	private Object buildEvent(List<String> lines, ResolvableType valueType, boolean shouldWrap,
 			Map<String, Object> hints) {
 
 		ServerSentEvent.Builder<Object> sseBuilder = shouldWrap ? ServerSentEvent.builder() : null;
@@ -138,34 +139,32 @@ public class ServerSentEventHttpMessageReader implements HttpMessageReader<Objec
 			}
 		}
 
-		Mono<?> decodedData = (data != null ? decodeData(data.toString(), valueType, hints) : Mono.empty());
+		Object decodedData = data != null ? decodeData(data.toString(), valueType, hints) : null;
 
 		if (shouldWrap) {
 			if (comment != null) {
 				sseBuilder.comment(comment.toString().substring(0, comment.length() - 1));
 			}
-			return decodedData.map(o -> {
-				sseBuilder.data(o);
-				return sseBuilder.build();
-			});
+			if (decodedData != null) {
+				sseBuilder.data(decodedData);
+			}
+			return sseBuilder.build();
 		}
 		else {
 			return decodedData;
 		}
 	}
 
-	private Mono<?> decodeData(String data, ResolvableType dataType, Map<String, Object> hints) {
+	private Object decodeData(String data, ResolvableType dataType, Map<String, Object> hints) {
 		if (String.class == dataType.resolve()) {
-			return Mono.just(data.substring(0, data.length() - 1));
+			return data.substring(0, data.length() - 1);
 		}
-
 		if (this.decoder == null) {
-			return Mono.error(new CodecException("No SSE decoder configured and the data is not String."));
+			throw new CodecException("No SSE decoder configured and the data is not String.");
 		}
-
 		byte[] bytes = data.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
 		DataBuffer buffer = bufferFactory.wrap(bytes);  // wrapping only, no allocation
-		return this.decoder.decodeToMono(Mono.just(buffer), dataType, MediaType.TEXT_EVENT_STREAM, hints);
+		return this.decoder.decode(buffer, dataType, MediaType.TEXT_EVENT_STREAM, hints);
 	}
 
 	@Override