diff --git a/src/unix/core.c b/src/unix/core.c
index ca3699899..3149152bf 100644
--- a/src/unix/core.c
+++ b/src/unix/core.c
@@ -404,6 +404,11 @@ int uv_run(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_run_mode mode) {
 
     uv__io_poll(loop, timeout);
 
+    /* Process immediate callbacks (e.g. write_cb) a small fixed number of
+     * times to avoid loop starvation.*/
+    for (r = 0; r < 8 && !QUEUE_EMPTY(&loop->pending_queue); r++)
+      uv__run_pending(loop);
+
     /* Run one final update on the provider_idle_time in case uv__io_poll
      * returned because the timeout expired, but no events were received. This
      * call will be ignored if the provider_entry_time was either never set (if
diff --git a/src/win/core.c b/src/win/core.c
index 664ffac97..67af93e65 100644
--- a/src/win/core.c
+++ b/src/win/core.c
@@ -617,6 +617,11 @@ int uv_run(uv_loop_t *loop, uv_run_mode mode) {
     else
       uv__poll_wine(loop, timeout);
 
+    /* Process immediate callbacks (e.g. write_cb) a small fixed number of
+     * times to avoid loop starvation.*/
+    for (r = 0; r < 8 && loop->pending_reqs_tail != NULL; r++)
+      uv__process_reqs(loop);
+
     /* Run one final update on the provider_idle_time in case uv__poll*
      * returned because the timeout expired, but no events were received. This
      * call will be ignored if the provider_entry_time was either never set (if
diff --git a/test/test-pipe-set-non-blocking.c b/test/test-pipe-set-non-blocking.c
index 827e72641..c78046095 100644
--- a/test/test-pipe-set-non-blocking.c
+++ b/test/test-pipe-set-non-blocking.c
@@ -102,8 +102,7 @@ TEST_IMPL(pipe_set_non_blocking) {
     ASSERT(n == UV_EAGAIN); /* E_NOTIMPL */
     ASSERT(0 == uv_write(&write_req, (uv_stream_t*) &pipe_handle, &buf, 1, write_cb));
     ASSERT_NOT_NULL(write_req.handle);
-    ASSERT(1 == uv_run(uv_default_loop(), UV_RUN_ONCE)); /* queue write_cb */
-    ASSERT(0 == uv_run(uv_default_loop(), UV_RUN_ONCE)); /* process write_cb */
+    ASSERT(0 == uv_run(uv_default_loop(), UV_RUN_ONCE));
     ASSERT_NULL(write_req.handle); /* check for signaled completion of write_cb */
     n = buf.len;
 #endif
diff --git a/test/test-spawn.c b/test/test-spawn.c
index de9c71002..7a07482b1 100644
--- a/test/test-spawn.c
+++ b/test/test-spawn.c
@@ -1675,9 +1675,6 @@ TEST_IMPL(closed_fd_events) {
   ASSERT(req.result == 1);
   uv_fs_req_cleanup(&req);
 
-#ifdef _WIN32
-  ASSERT(1 == uv_run(uv_default_loop(), UV_RUN_ONCE));
-#endif
   ASSERT(0 == uv_run(uv_default_loop(), UV_RUN_ONCE));
 
   /* should have received just one byte */