diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvpb/batch_generated.go b/pkg/kv/kvpb/batch_generated.go
index b721790a728f..15a57c7516af 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvpb/batch_generated.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvpb/batch_generated.go
@@ -830,12 +830,46 @@ type linkExternalSSTableResponseAlloc struct {
 	resp  LinkExternalSSTableResponse
 }
 
+func allocBatchResponse(nResps int) *BatchResponse {
+	if nResps <= 1 {
+		alloc := new(struct {
+			br    BatchResponse
+			resps [1]ResponseUnion
+		})
+		alloc.br.Responses = alloc.resps[:nResps]
+		return &alloc.br
+	} else if nResps <= 2 {
+		alloc := new(struct {
+			br    BatchResponse
+			resps [2]ResponseUnion
+		})
+		alloc.br.Responses = alloc.resps[:nResps]
+		return &alloc.br
+	} else if nResps <= 4 {
+		alloc := new(struct {
+			br    BatchResponse
+			resps [4]ResponseUnion
+		})
+		alloc.br.Responses = alloc.resps[:nResps]
+		return &alloc.br
+	} else if nResps <= 8 {
+		alloc := new(struct {
+			br    BatchResponse
+			resps [8]ResponseUnion
+		})
+		alloc.br.Responses = alloc.resps[:nResps]
+		return &alloc.br
+	}
+	br := &BatchResponse{}
+	br.Responses = make([]ResponseUnion, nResps)
+	return br
+}
+
 // CreateReply creates replies for each of the contained requests, wrapped in a
 // BatchResponse. The response objects are batch allocated to minimize
 // allocation overhead.
 func (ba *BatchRequest) CreateReply() *BatchResponse {
-	br := &BatchResponse{}
-	br.Responses = make([]ResponseUnion, len(ba.Requests))
+	br := allocBatchResponse(len(ba.Requests))
 
 	counts := ba.getReqCounts()
 
diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvpb/gen/main.go b/pkg/kv/kvpb/gen/main.go
index aac45035210f..a24ef985a038 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvpb/gen/main.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvpb/gen/main.go
@@ -366,13 +366,49 @@ func (ba *BatchRequest) WriteSummary(b *strings.Builder) {
 		allocTypes[resV.variantName] = allocName
 	}
 
+	fmt.Fprint(f, `
+func allocBatchResponse(nResps int) *BatchResponse {
+	if nResps <= 1 {
+		alloc := new(struct {
+			br    BatchResponse
+			resps [1]ResponseUnion
+		})
+		alloc.br.Responses = alloc.resps[:nResps]
+		return &alloc.br
+	} else if nResps <= 2 {
+		alloc := new(struct {
+			br    BatchResponse
+			resps [2]ResponseUnion
+		})
+		alloc.br.Responses = alloc.resps[:nResps]
+		return &alloc.br
+	} else if nResps <= 4 {
+		alloc := new(struct {
+			br    BatchResponse
+			resps [4]ResponseUnion
+		})
+		alloc.br.Responses = alloc.resps[:nResps]
+		return &alloc.br
+	} else if nResps <= 8 {
+		alloc := new(struct {
+			br    BatchResponse
+			resps [8]ResponseUnion
+		})
+		alloc.br.Responses = alloc.resps[:nResps]
+		return &alloc.br
+	}
+	br := &BatchResponse{}
+	br.Responses = make([]ResponseUnion, nResps)
+	return br
+}
+`)
+
 	fmt.Fprint(f, `
 // CreateReply creates replies for each of the contained requests, wrapped in a
 // BatchResponse. The response objects are batch allocated to minimize
 // allocation overhead.
 func (ba *BatchRequest) CreateReply() *BatchResponse {
-	br := &BatchResponse{}
-	br.Responses = make([]ResponseUnion, len(ba.Requests))
+	br := allocBatchResponse(len(ba.Requests))
 
 	counts := ba.getReqCounts()
 
diff --git a/pkg/server/node.go b/pkg/server/node.go
index 5f5a969990a7..0d1b8e422020 100644
--- a/pkg/server/node.go
+++ b/pkg/server/node.go
@@ -1877,7 +1877,14 @@ func (n *Node) Batch(ctx context.Context, args *kvpb.BatchRequest) (*kvpb.BatchR
 func (n *Node) BatchStream(stream kvpb.Internal_BatchStreamServer) error {
 	ctx := stream.Context()
 	for {
-		args, err := stream.Recv()
+		argsAlloc := new(struct {
+			args kvpb.BatchRequest
+			reqs [1]kvpb.RequestUnion
+		})
+		args := &argsAlloc.args
+		args.Requests = argsAlloc.reqs[:0]
+
+		err := stream.RecvMsg(args)
 		if err != nil {
 			// From grpc.ServerStream.Recv:
 			// > It returns io.EOF when the client has performed a CloseSend.