diff --git a/lib/bdev/bdev.c b/lib/bdev/bdev.c
index 199ea8ad2..01a561741 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/bdev.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/bdev.c
@@ -259,7 +259,9 @@ struct spdk_bdev_iostat_ctx {
 #define __bdev_to_io_dev(bdev)		(((char *)bdev) + 1)
 #define __bdev_from_io_dev(io_dev)	((struct spdk_bdev *)(((char *)io_dev) - 1))
 
-static void spdk_bdev_write_zeroes_split(struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io, bool success, void *cb_arg);
+static void _spdk_bdev_write_zero_buffer_done(struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io, bool success,
+		void *cb_arg);
+static void _spdk_bdev_write_zero_buffer_next(void *_bdev_io);
 
 void
 spdk_bdev_get_opts(struct spdk_bdev_opts *opts)
@@ -2236,8 +2238,6 @@ spdk_bdev_write_zeroes_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channe
 	struct spdk_bdev *bdev = desc->bdev;
 	struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io;
 	struct spdk_bdev_channel *channel = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(ch);
-	uint64_t len;
-	bool split_request = false;
 
 	if (!desc->write) {
 		return -EBADF;
@@ -2253,47 +2253,26 @@ spdk_bdev_write_zeroes_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channe
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
+	bdev_io->type = SPDK_BDEV_IO_TYPE_WRITE_ZEROES;
 	bdev_io->internal.ch = channel;
 	bdev_io->internal.desc = desc;
 	bdev_io->u.bdev.offset_blocks = offset_blocks;
+	bdev_io->u.bdev.num_blocks = num_blocks;
+	spdk_bdev_io_init(bdev_io, bdev, cb_arg, cb);
 
 	if (_spdk_bdev_io_type_supported(bdev, SPDK_BDEV_IO_TYPE_WRITE_ZEROES)) {
-		bdev_io->type = SPDK_BDEV_IO_TYPE_WRITE_ZEROES;
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.num_blocks = num_blocks;
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.iovs = NULL;
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.iovcnt = 0;
-
+		spdk_bdev_io_submit(bdev_io);
+		return 0;
 	} else if (_spdk_bdev_io_type_supported(bdev, SPDK_BDEV_IO_TYPE_WRITE)) {
 		assert(spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev) <= ZERO_BUFFER_SIZE);
-
-		len = spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev) * num_blocks;
-
-		if (len > ZERO_BUFFER_SIZE) {
-			split_request = true;
-			len = ZERO_BUFFER_SIZE;
-		}
-
-		bdev_io->type = SPDK_BDEV_IO_TYPE_WRITE;
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.iovs = &bdev_io->iov;
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.iovs[0].iov_base = g_bdev_mgr.zero_buffer;
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.iovs[0].iov_len = len;
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.iovcnt = 1;
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.num_blocks = len / spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev);
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.split_remaining_num_blocks = num_blocks - bdev_io->u.bdev.num_blocks;
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.split_current_offset_blocks = offset_blocks + bdev_io->u.bdev.num_blocks;
+		bdev_io->u.bdev.split_remaining_num_blocks = num_blocks;
+		bdev_io->u.bdev.split_current_offset_blocks = offset_blocks;
+		_spdk_bdev_write_zero_buffer_next(bdev_io);
+		return 0;
 	} else {
 		spdk_bdev_free_io(bdev_io);
 		return -ENOTSUP;
 	}
-
-	if (split_request) {
-		bdev_io->u.bdev.stored_user_cb = cb;
-		spdk_bdev_io_init(bdev_io, bdev, cb_arg, spdk_bdev_write_zeroes_split);
-	} else {
-		spdk_bdev_io_init(bdev_io, bdev, cb_arg, cb);
-	}
-	spdk_bdev_io_submit(bdev_io);
-	return 0;
 }
 
 int
@@ -3442,33 +3421,57 @@ spdk_bdev_module_list_find(const char *name)
 }
 
 static void
-spdk_bdev_write_zeroes_split(struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io, bool success, void *cb_arg)
+_spdk_bdev_write_zero_buffer_next(void *_bdev_io)
 {
-	uint64_t len;
+	struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io = _bdev_io;
+	uint64_t num_bytes, num_blocks;
+	int rc;
+
+	num_bytes = spdk_min(spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev_io->bdev) *
+			     bdev_io->u.bdev.split_remaining_num_blocks,
+			     ZERO_BUFFER_SIZE);
+	num_blocks = num_bytes / spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev_io->bdev);
+
+	rc = spdk_bdev_write_blocks(bdev_io->internal.desc,
+				    spdk_io_channel_from_ctx(bdev_io->internal.ch),
+				    g_bdev_mgr.zero_buffer,
+				    bdev_io->u.bdev.split_current_offset_blocks, num_blocks,
+				    _spdk_bdev_write_zero_buffer_done, bdev_io);
+	if (rc == 0) {
+		bdev_io->u.bdev.split_remaining_num_blocks -= num_blocks;
+		bdev_io->u.bdev.split_current_offset_blocks += num_blocks;
+	} else if (rc == -ENOMEM) {
+		bdev_io->internal.waitq_entry.bdev = bdev_io->bdev;
+		bdev_io->internal.waitq_entry.cb_fn = _spdk_bdev_write_zero_buffer_next;
+		bdev_io->internal.waitq_entry.cb_arg = bdev_io;
+		spdk_bdev_queue_io_wait(bdev_io->bdev, spdk_io_channel_from_ctx(bdev_io->internal.ch),
+					&bdev_io->internal.waitq_entry);
+	} else {
+		/* This should never happen. */
+		assert(false);
+		bdev_io->internal.status = SPDK_BDEV_IO_STATUS_FAILED;
+		bdev_io->internal.cb(bdev_io, SPDK_BDEV_IO_STATUS_FAILED, bdev_io->internal.caller_ctx);
+	}
+}
+
+static void
+_spdk_bdev_write_zero_buffer_done(struct spdk_bdev_io *bdev_io, bool success, void *cb_arg)
+{
+	struct spdk_bdev_io *parent_io = cb_arg;
 
 	if (!success) {
-		bdev_io->internal.cb = bdev_io->u.bdev.stored_user_cb;
-		_spdk_bdev_io_complete(bdev_io);
+		parent_io->internal.status = SPDK_BDEV_IO_STATUS_FAILED;
+		parent_io->internal.cb(parent_io, SPDK_BDEV_IO_STATUS_FAILED, parent_io->internal.caller_ctx);
 		return;
 	}
 
-	/* no need to perform the error checking from write_zeroes_blocks because this request already passed those checks. */
-	len = spdk_min(spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev_io->bdev) * bdev_io->u.bdev.split_remaining_num_blocks,
-		       ZERO_BUFFER_SIZE);
-
-	bdev_io->u.bdev.offset_blocks = bdev_io->u.bdev.split_current_offset_blocks;
-	bdev_io->u.bdev.iovs[0].iov_len = len;
-	bdev_io->u.bdev.num_blocks = len / spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev_io->bdev);
-	bdev_io->u.bdev.split_remaining_num_blocks -= bdev_io->u.bdev.num_blocks;
-	bdev_io->u.bdev.split_current_offset_blocks += bdev_io->u.bdev.num_blocks;
-
-	/* if this round completes the i/o, change the callback to be the original user callback */
-	if (bdev_io->u.bdev.split_remaining_num_blocks == 0) {
-		spdk_bdev_io_init(bdev_io, bdev_io->bdev, cb_arg, bdev_io->u.bdev.stored_user_cb);
-	} else {
-		spdk_bdev_io_init(bdev_io, bdev_io->bdev, cb_arg, spdk_bdev_write_zeroes_split);
+	if (parent_io->u.bdev.split_remaining_num_blocks == 0) {
+		parent_io->internal.status = SPDK_BDEV_IO_STATUS_SUCCESS;
+		parent_io->internal.cb(parent_io, SPDK_BDEV_IO_STATUS_SUCCESS, parent_io->internal.caller_ctx);
+		return;
 	}
-	spdk_bdev_io_submit(bdev_io);
+
+	_spdk_bdev_write_zero_buffer_next(parent_io);
 }
 
 struct set_qos_limit_ctx {