diff --git a/middleware/proxy.go b/middleware/proxy.go
index 5bf296f65..a40d58130 100644
--- a/middleware/proxy.go
+++ b/middleware/proxy.go
@@ -365,6 +365,9 @@ func (config ProxyConfig) ToMiddleware() (echo.MiddlewareFunc, error) {
 				if err != nil {
 					return config.ErrorHandler(c, err)
 				}
+				if tgt == nil || tgt.URL == nil {
+					return config.ErrorHandler(c, echo.NewHTTPError(http.StatusBadGateway, "no proxy target available"))
+				}
 
 				c.Set(config.ContextKey, tgt)
 
diff --git a/middleware/proxy_test.go b/middleware/proxy_test.go
index 3a1310ef3..5494b23ba 100644
--- a/middleware/proxy_test.go
+++ b/middleware/proxy_test.go
@@ -457,6 +457,100 @@ func TestRoundRobinBalancerWithNoTargets(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 }
 
+func TestProxyWithNoTargetReturnsBadGateway(t *testing.T) {
+	targetURL, _ := url.Parse("http://127.0.0.1:8080")
+	target := &ProxyTarget{Name: "target", URL: targetURL}
+	emptyAfterRemove := NewRoundRobinBalancer([]*ProxyTarget{target})
+	assert.True(t, emptyAfterRemove.RemoveTarget("target"))
+
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name     string
+		balancer ProxyBalancer
+	}{
+		{
+			name:     "random balancer with nil targets",
+			balancer: NewRandomBalancer(nil),
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "round-robin balancer with nil targets",
+			balancer: NewRoundRobinBalancer(nil),
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "round-robin balancer after removing last target",
+			balancer: emptyAfterRemove,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "custom balancer with nil target",
+			balancer: &customBalancer{},
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "custom balancer with nil target URL",
+			balancer: &customBalancer{target: &ProxyTarget{Name: "target"}},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			e := echo.New()
+			errorHandlerCalled := false
+			e.Use(ProxyWithConfig(ProxyConfig{
+				Balancer: tc.balancer,
+				ErrorHandler: func(c *echo.Context, err error) error {
+					errorHandlerCalled = true
+					httpErr, ok := err.(*echo.HTTPError)
+					assert.True(t, ok, "expected http error to be passed to handler")
+					assert.Equal(t, http.StatusBadGateway, httpErr.Code, "expected http bad gateway error to be passed to handler")
+					return err
+				},
+			}))
+
+			req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/", nil)
+			rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+
+			assert.NotPanics(t, func() {
+				e.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+			})
+			assert.True(t, errorHandlerCalled)
+			assert.Equal(t, http.StatusBadGateway, rec.Code)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProxyWithNoTargetDoesNotRetry(t *testing.T) {
+	server := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+	}))
+	defer server.Close()
+	targetURL, _ := url.Parse(server.URL)
+
+	balancer := &sequenceBalancer{
+		targets: []*ProxyTarget{
+			nil,
+			{Name: "target", URL: targetURL},
+		},
+	}
+
+	retryFilterCalled := false
+	e := echo.New()
+	e.Use(ProxyWithConfig(ProxyConfig{
+		Balancer:   balancer,
+		RetryCount: 1,
+		RetryFilter: func(c *echo.Context, err error) bool {
+			retryFilterCalled = true
+			return true
+		},
+	}))
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/", nil)
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+
+	e.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+
+	assert.False(t, retryFilterCalled)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, balancer.calls)
+	assert.Equal(t, http.StatusBadGateway, rec.Code)
+}
+
 func TestProxyRetries(t *testing.T) {
 	newServer := func(res int) (*url.URL, *httptest.Server) {
 		server := httptest.NewServer(
@@ -788,6 +882,25 @@ func (b *customBalancer) Next(c *echo.Context) (*ProxyTarget, error) {
 	return b.target, nil
 }
 
+type sequenceBalancer struct {
+	targets []*ProxyTarget
+	calls   int
+}
+
+func (b *sequenceBalancer) AddTarget(target *ProxyTarget) bool {
+	return false
+}
+
+func (b *sequenceBalancer) RemoveTarget(name string) bool {
+	return false
+}
+
+func (b *sequenceBalancer) Next(c *echo.Context) (*ProxyTarget, error) {
+	target := b.targets[b.calls]
+	b.calls++
+	return target, nil
+}
+
 func TestModifyResponseUseContext(t *testing.T) {
 	server := httptest.NewServer(
 		http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {