diff --git a/api/api/version_endpoints_api.go b/api/api/version_endpoints_api.go
index f6fe5ef31..eb6e0c4c6 100644
--- a/api/api/version_endpoints_api.go
+++ b/api/api/version_endpoints_api.go
@@ -279,7 +279,8 @@ func (c *EndpointsController) UpdateEndpoint(r *http.Request, vars map[string]st
 		// Should not allow changing the deployment mode of a pending/running/serving model for 2 reasons:
 		// * For "serving" models it's risky as, we can't guarantee graceful re-deployment
 		// * Kserve uses slightly different deployment resource naming under the hood and doesn't clean up the older deployment
-		if (endpoint.IsRunning() || endpoint.IsServing()) && newEndpoint.DeploymentMode != endpoint.DeploymentMode {
+		if (endpoint.IsRunning() || endpoint.IsServing()) && newEndpoint.DeploymentMode != "" &&
+			newEndpoint.DeploymentMode != endpoint.DeploymentMode {
 			return BadRequest(fmt.Sprintf("Changing deployment type of a %s model is not allowed, please terminate it first.",
 				endpoint.Status))
 		}
diff --git a/api/api/version_endpoints_api_test.go b/api/api/version_endpoints_api_test.go
index ab124e8a7..e7c0e781c 100644
--- a/api/api/version_endpoints_api_test.go
+++ b/api/api/version_endpoints_api_test.go
@@ -5055,6 +5055,183 @@ func TestUpdateEndpoint(t *testing.T) {
 				data: Error{Message: "Error validating request: Updating endpoint status to running is not allowed when the endpoint is currently in the pending state"},
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			desc: "Should success without changing deployment mode if request does not specify new deployment mode",
+			vars: map[string]string{
+				"model_id":    "1",
+				"version_id":  "1",
+				"endpoint_id": uuid.String(),
+			},
+			requestBody: &models.VersionEndpoint{
+				ID:              uuid,
+				VersionID:       models.ID(1),
+				VersionModelID:  models.ID(1),
+				Status:          models.EndpointRunning,
+				ServiceName:     "sample",
+				Namespace:       "sample",
+				EnvironmentName: "dev",
+				Message:         "",
+				ResourceRequest: &models.ResourceRequest{
+					MinReplica:    1,
+					MaxReplica:    4,
+					CPURequest:    resource.MustParse("1"),
+					MemoryRequest: resource.MustParse("1Gi"),
+				},
+				EnvVars: models.EnvVars([]models.EnvVar{
+					{
+						Name:  "WORKER",
+						Value: "1",
+					},
+				}),
+			},
+			modelService: func() *mocks.ModelsService {
+				svc := &mocks.ModelsService{}
+				svc.On("FindByID", context.Background(), models.ID(1)).Return(&models.Model{
+					ID:           models.ID(1),
+					Name:         "model-1",
+					ProjectID:    models.ID(1),
+					Project:      mlp.Project{},
+					ExperimentID: 1,
+					Type:         "pyfunc",
+					MlflowURL:    "",
+					Endpoints:    nil,
+				}, nil)
+				return svc
+			},
+			versionService: func() *mocks.VersionsService {
+				svc := &mocks.VersionsService{}
+				svc.On("FindByID", context.Background(), models.ID(1), models.ID(1), mock.Anything).Return(&models.Version{
+					ID:      models.ID(1),
+					ModelID: models.ID(1),
+					Model: &models.Model{
+						ID:           models.ID(1),
+						Name:         "model-1",
+						ProjectID:    models.ID(1),
+						Project:      mlp.Project{},
+						ExperimentID: 1,
+						Type:         "pyfunc",
+						MlflowURL:    "",
+						Endpoints:    nil,
+					},
+				}, nil)
+				return svc
+			},
+			envService: func() *mocks.EnvironmentService {
+				svc := &mocks.EnvironmentService{}
+				svc.On("GetEnvironment", "dev").Return(&models.Environment{
+					ID:         models.ID(1),
+					Name:       "dev",
+					Cluster:    "dev",
+					IsDefault:  &trueBoolean,
+					Region:     "id",
+					GcpProject: "dev-proj",
+					MaxCPU:     "1",
+					MaxMemory:  "1Gi",
+				}, nil)
+				return svc
+			},
+			endpointService: func() *mocks.EndpointsService {
+				svc := &mocks.EndpointsService{}
+				svc.On("FindByID", context.Background(), uuid).Return(&models.VersionEndpoint{
+					ID:                   uuid,
+					VersionID:            models.ID(1),
+					VersionModelID:       models.ID(1),
+					Status:               models.EndpointFailed,
+					ServiceName:          "sample",
+					InferenceServiceName: "sample",
+					Namespace:            "sample",
+					URL:                  "http://endpoint.svc",
+					MonitoringURL:        "http://monitoring.com",
+					Environment: &models.Environment{
+						ID:         models.ID(1),
+						Name:       "dev",
+						Cluster:    "dev",
+						IsDefault:  &trueBoolean,
+						Region:     "id",
+						GcpProject: "dev-proj",
+						MaxCPU:     "1",
+						MaxMemory:  "1Gi",
+					}, EnvironmentName: "dev",
+					Message:         "",
+					ResourceRequest: nil,
+					EnvVars: models.EnvVars([]models.EnvVar{
+						{
+							Name:  "WORKER",
+							Value: "1",
+						},
+					}),
+					DeploymentMode: deployment.ServerlessDeploymentMode,
+				}, nil)
+				svc.On("DeployEndpoint", context.Background(), mock.Anything, mock.Anything, mock.Anything, mock.Anything).Return(&models.VersionEndpoint{
+					ID:                   uuid,
+					VersionID:            models.ID(1),
+					VersionModelID:       models.ID(1),
+					Status:               models.EndpointRunning,
+					URL:                  "http://endpoint.svc",
+					ServiceName:          "sample",
+					InferenceServiceName: "sample",
+					Namespace:            "sample",
+					MonitoringURL:        "http://monitoring.com",
+					Environment: &models.Environment{
+						ID:         models.ID(1),
+						Name:       "dev",
+						Cluster:    "dev",
+						IsDefault:  &trueBoolean,
+						Region:     "id",
+						GcpProject: "dev-proj",
+						MaxCPU:     "1",
+						MaxMemory:  "1Gi",
+					},
+					EnvironmentName: "dev",
+					Message:         "",
+					ResourceRequest: nil,
+					EnvVars: models.EnvVars([]models.EnvVar{
+						{
+							Name:  "WORKER",
+							Value: "1",
+						},
+					}),
+					DeploymentMode: deployment.RawDeploymentMode,
+					CreatedUpdated: models.CreatedUpdated{},
+				}, nil)
+				return svc
+			},
+			expected: &Response{
+				code: http.StatusOK,
+				data: &models.VersionEndpoint{
+					ID:                   uuid,
+					VersionID:            models.ID(1),
+					VersionModelID:       models.ID(1),
+					Status:               models.EndpointRunning,
+					URL:                  "http://endpoint.svc",
+					ServiceName:          "sample",
+					InferenceServiceName: "sample",
+					Namespace:            "sample",
+					MonitoringURL:        "http://monitoring.com",
+					Environment: &models.Environment{
+						ID:         models.ID(1),
+						Name:       "dev",
+						Cluster:    "dev",
+						IsDefault:  &trueBoolean,
+						Region:     "id",
+						GcpProject: "dev-proj",
+						MaxCPU:     "1",
+						MaxMemory:  "1Gi",
+					},
+					EnvironmentName: "dev",
+					Message:         "",
+					ResourceRequest: nil,
+					EnvVars: models.EnvVars([]models.EnvVar{
+						{
+							Name:  "WORKER",
+							Value: "1",
+						},
+					}),
+					DeploymentMode: deployment.RawDeploymentMode,
+					CreatedUpdated: models.CreatedUpdated{},
+				},
+			},
+		},
 	}
 	for _, tC := range testCases {
 		t.Run(tC.desc, func(t *testing.T) {