diff --git a/src/openai/_client.py b/src/openai/_client.py
index aadf3601f2..8aebdd8187 100644
--- a/src/openai/_client.py
+++ b/src/openai/_client.py
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ def __init__(
 
         if base_url is None:
             base_url = os.environ.get("OPENAI_BASE_URL")
-        if base_url is None:
+        if base_url is None or base_url == "":
             base_url = f"https://api.openai.com/v1"
 
         super().__init__(
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ def __init__(
 
         if base_url is None:
             base_url = os.environ.get("OPENAI_BASE_URL")
-        if base_url is None:
+        if base_url is None or base_url == "":
             base_url = f"https://api.openai.com/v1"
 
         super().__init__(