diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/hadoop/HadoopFileIO.java b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/hadoop/HadoopFileIO.java
index 60270749b5d7..02530cf6c9dd 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/hadoop/HadoopFileIO.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/hadoop/HadoopFileIO.java
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ public HadoopFileIO(SerializableSupplier<Configuration> hadoopConf) {
   }
 
   public Configuration conf() {
-    return hadoopConf.get();
+    return getConf();
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -84,23 +84,23 @@ public void initialize(Map<String, String> props) {
 
   @Override
   public InputFile newInputFile(String path) {
-    return HadoopInputFile.fromLocation(path, hadoopConf.get());
+    return HadoopInputFile.fromLocation(path, getConf());
   }
 
   @Override
   public InputFile newInputFile(String path, long length) {
-    return HadoopInputFile.fromLocation(path, length, hadoopConf.get());
+    return HadoopInputFile.fromLocation(path, length, getConf());
   }
 
   @Override
   public OutputFile newOutputFile(String path) {
-    return HadoopOutputFile.fromPath(new Path(path), hadoopConf.get());
+    return HadoopOutputFile.fromPath(new Path(path), getConf());
   }
 
   @Override
   public void deleteFile(String path) {
     Path toDelete = new Path(path);
-    FileSystem fs = Util.getFs(toDelete, hadoopConf.get());
+    FileSystem fs = Util.getFs(toDelete, getConf());
     try {
       fs.delete(toDelete, false /* not recursive */);
     } catch (IOException e) {
@@ -120,6 +120,16 @@ public void setConf(Configuration conf) {
 
   @Override
   public Configuration getConf() {
+    // Create a default hadoopConf as it is required for the object to be valid.
+    // E.g. newInputFile would throw NPE with getConf() otherwise.
+    if (hadoopConf == null) {
+      synchronized (this) {
+        if (hadoopConf == null) {
+          this.hadoopConf = new SerializableConfiguration(new Configuration())::get;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
     return hadoopConf.get();
   }
 
@@ -132,7 +142,7 @@ public void serializeConfWith(
   @Override
   public Iterable<FileInfo> listPrefix(String prefix) {
     Path prefixToList = new Path(prefix);
-    FileSystem fs = Util.getFs(prefixToList, hadoopConf.get());
+    FileSystem fs = Util.getFs(prefixToList, getConf());
 
     return () -> {
       try {
@@ -154,7 +164,7 @@ public Iterable<FileInfo> listPrefix(String prefix) {
   @Override
   public void deletePrefix(String prefix) {
     Path prefixToDelete = new Path(prefix);
-    FileSystem fs = Util.getFs(prefixToDelete, hadoopConf.get());
+    FileSystem fs = Util.getFs(prefixToDelete, getConf());
 
     try {
       fs.delete(prefixToDelete, true /* recursive */);
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/hadoop/HadoopFileIOTest.java b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/hadoop/HadoopFileIOTest.java
index 1abbd94839de..0ff1d98f27dd 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/hadoop/HadoopFileIOTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/hadoop/HadoopFileIOTest.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.UncheckedIOException;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Random;
 import java.util.UUID;
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@
 import org.apache.iceberg.common.DynMethods;
 import org.apache.iceberg.io.BulkDeletionFailureException;
 import org.apache.iceberg.io.FileIO;
+import org.apache.iceberg.io.FileIOParser;
 import org.apache.iceberg.io.ResolvingFileIO;
 import org.apache.iceberg.relocated.com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
 import org.apache.iceberg.relocated.com.google.common.collect.Lists;
@@ -176,6 +178,53 @@ public void testResolvingFileIOLoad() {
     assertThat(result).isInstanceOf(HadoopFileIO.class);
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testJsonParserWithoutHadoopConf() throws Exception {
+    this.hadoopFileIO = new HadoopFileIO();
+
+    hadoopFileIO.initialize(ImmutableMap.of("properties-bar", "2"));
+    assertThat(hadoopFileIO.properties().get("properties-bar")).isEqualTo("2");
+
+    testJsonParser(hadoopFileIO, tempDir);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testJsonParserWithHadoopConf() throws Exception {
+    this.hadoopFileIO = new HadoopFileIO();
+
+    Configuration hadoopConf = new Configuration();
+    hadoopConf.setInt("hadoop-conf-foo", 1);
+    hadoopFileIO.setConf(hadoopConf);
+    assertThat(hadoopFileIO.conf().get("hadoop-conf-foo")).isNotNull();
+
+    hadoopFileIO.initialize(ImmutableMap.of("properties-bar", "2"));
+    assertThat(hadoopFileIO.properties().get("properties-bar")).isEqualTo("2");
+
+    testJsonParser(hadoopFileIO, tempDir);
+  }
+
+  private static void testJsonParser(HadoopFileIO hadoopFileIO, File tempDir) throws Exception {
+    String json = FileIOParser.toJson(hadoopFileIO);
+    try (FileIO deserialized = FileIOParser.fromJson(json)) {
+      assertThat(deserialized).isInstanceOf(HadoopFileIO.class);
+      HadoopFileIO deserializedHadoopFileIO = (HadoopFileIO) deserialized;
+
+      // properties are carried over during serialization and deserialization
+      assertThat(deserializedHadoopFileIO.properties()).isEqualTo(hadoopFileIO.properties());
+
+      // FileIOParser doesn't serialize and deserialize Hadoop configuration
+      // so config "foo" is not restored in deserialized object.
+      assertThat(deserializedHadoopFileIO.conf().get("hadoop-conf-foo")).isNull();
+
+      // make sure deserialized io can create input file
+      String inputFilePath =
+          Files.createTempDirectory(tempDir.toPath(), "junit").toFile().getAbsolutePath()
+              + "/test.parquet";
+      deserializedHadoopFileIO.newInputFile(
+          File.createTempFile("test", "parquet", tempDir).toString());
+    }
+  }
+
   private List<Path> createRandomFiles(Path parent, int count) {
     Vector<Path> paths = new Vector<>();
     random