diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 1e51ff50c4..d1965b799d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -87,7 +87,6 @@
     "@payloadcms/config-provider": "^0.1.0",
     "@types/mime": "^2.0.3",
     "@types/passport-local-mongoose": "^6.1.0",
-    "@udecode/slate-plugins": "^0.71.9",
     "babel-jest": "^26.3.0",
     "babel-loader": "^8.1.0",
     "body-parser": "^1.19.0",
diff --git a/src/admin/components/forms/field-types/RichText/RichText.tsx b/src/admin/components/forms/field-types/RichText/RichText.tsx
index 6511086170..de1a8b8989 100644
--- a/src/admin/components/forms/field-types/RichText/RichText.tsx
+++ b/src/admin/components/forms/field-types/RichText/RichText.tsx
@@ -138,11 +138,9 @@ const RichText: React.FC<Props> = (props) => {
 
   const editor = useMemo(() => {
     let CreatedEditor = withEnterBreakOut(
-      withHTML(
-        withHistory(
-          withReact(
-            createEditor(),
-          ),
+      withHistory(
+        withReact(
+          createEditor(),
         ),
       ),
     );
@@ -150,6 +148,8 @@ const RichText: React.FC<Props> = (props) => {
     CreatedEditor = enablePlugins(CreatedEditor, elements);
     CreatedEditor = enablePlugins(CreatedEditor, leaves);
 
+    CreatedEditor = withHTML(CreatedEditor);
+
     return CreatedEditor;
   }, [elements, leaves]);
 
diff --git a/src/admin/components/forms/field-types/RichText/plugins/withHTML.tsx b/src/admin/components/forms/field-types/RichText/plugins/withHTML.tsx
index dbaa1a75a4..371a4590cc 100644
--- a/src/admin/components/forms/field-types/RichText/plugins/withHTML.tsx
+++ b/src/admin/components/forms/field-types/RichText/plugins/withHTML.tsx
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ const TEXT_TAGS = {
   U: () => ({ underline: true }),
 };
 
-export const deserialize = (el) => {
+const deserialize = (el) => {
   if (el.nodeType === 3) {
     return el.textContent;
   } if (el.nodeType !== 1) {
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ export const deserialize = (el) => {
     return '\n';
   }
 
-
   const { nodeName } = el;
   let parent = el;
 
@@ -48,15 +47,10 @@ export const deserialize = (el) => {
   ) {
     [parent] = el.childNodes;
   }
-
-  let children = Array.from(parent.childNodes)
+  const children = Array.from(parent.childNodes)
     .map(deserialize)
     .flat();
 
-  if (children.length === 0) {
-    children = [{ text: '' }];
-  }
-
   if (el.nodeName === 'BODY') {
     return jsx('fragment', {}, children);
   }
@@ -71,9 +65,7 @@ export const deserialize = (el) => {
     return children.map((child) => jsx('text', attrs, child));
   }
 
-  return children.map((child) => (typeof child === 'string'
-    ? jsx('element', ELEMENT_TAGS.P(), [{ text: child }])
-    : child));
+  return children;
 };
 
 const withHTML = (incomingEditor) => {
@@ -82,14 +74,15 @@ const withHTML = (incomingEditor) => {
   const editor = incomingEditor;
 
   editor.insertData = (data) => {
-    const html = data.getData('text/html');
+    if (!data.types.includes('application/x-slate-fragment')) {
+      const html = data.getData('text/html');
 
-
-    if (html) {
-      const parsed = new DOMParser().parseFromString(html, 'text/html');
-      const fragment = deserialize(parsed.body);
-      Transforms.insertFragment(editor, fragment);
-      return;
+      if (html) {
+        const parsed = new DOMParser().parseFromString(html, 'text/html');
+        const fragment = deserialize(parsed.body);
+        Transforms.insertFragment(editor, fragment);
+        return;
+      }
     }
 
     insertData(data);