diff --git a/pkg/cfn/builder/api_test.go b/pkg/cfn/builder/api_test.go
index 7d25228879..d926d8eb85 100644
--- a/pkg/cfn/builder/api_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cfn/builder/api_test.go
@@ -3007,6 +3007,24 @@ var _ = Describe("CloudFormation template builder API", func() {
 				HaveKeyWithValue("SuspendProcesses", []interface{}{"Launch", "InstanceRefresh"}),
 			)
 		})
+		Context("empty asgSuspendProcesses", func() {
+			cfg, ng := newClusterConfigAndNodegroup(true)
+
+			ng.ASGSuspendProcesses = []string{}
+			build(cfg, "eksctl-test-asgSuspendProcesses-empty", ng)
+
+			roundtrip()
+
+			It("shouldn't be included in resource", func() {
+				Expect(ngTemplate.Resources).To(HaveKey("NodeGroup"))
+				ngResource := ngTemplate.Resources["NodeGroup"]
+				Expect(ng).ToNot(BeNil())
+				Expect(ngResource.UpdatePolicy).To(HaveKey("AutoScalingRollingUpdate"))
+				Expect(ngResource.UpdatePolicy["AutoScalingRollingUpdate"]).ToNot(
+					HaveKey("SuspendProcesses"),
+				)
+			})
+		})
 	})
 
 })
diff --git a/pkg/cfn/builder/nodegroup.go b/pkg/cfn/builder/nodegroup.go
index e5798524d2..8147588d5a 100644
--- a/pkg/cfn/builder/nodegroup.go
+++ b/pkg/cfn/builder/nodegroup.go
@@ -326,15 +326,19 @@ func nodeGroupResource(launchTemplateName *gfnt.Value, vpcZoneIdentifier interfa
 		}
 	}
 
+	rollingUpdate := map[string]interface{}{
+		"MinInstancesInService": "0",
+		"MaxBatchSize":          "1",
+	}
+	if len(ng.ASGSuspendProcesses) > 0 {
+		rollingUpdate["SuspendProcesses"] = ng.ASGSuspendProcesses
+	}
+
 	return &awsCloudFormationResource{
 		Type:       "AWS::AutoScaling::AutoScalingGroup",
 		Properties: ngProps,
 		UpdatePolicy: map[string]map[string]interface{}{
-			"AutoScalingRollingUpdate": {
-				"MinInstancesInService": "0",
-				"MaxBatchSize":          "1",
-				"SuspendProcesses":      ng.ASGSuspendProcesses,
-			},
+			"AutoScalingRollingUpdate": rollingUpdate,
 		},
 	}
 }