diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/views/kanban/kanban_controller.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/views/kanban/kanban_controller.js
index 9bb728011e8..cbe31e5938f 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/views/kanban/kanban_controller.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/views/kanban/kanban_controller.js
@@ -40,8 +40,7 @@ var KanbanController = BasicController.extend({
         this.on_create = params.on_create;
         this.hasButtons = params.hasButtons;
 
-        // true iff grouped by an m2o field and group_create action enabled
-        this.create_column_enabled = false;
+        this.createColumnEnabled = this._isCreateColumnEnabled();
     },
 
     //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -60,16 +59,12 @@ var KanbanController = BasicController.extend({
         }
     },
     /**
-     * Override update method to recompute create_column_enabled.
+     * Override update method to recompute createColumnEnabled.
      *
      * @returns {Deferred}
      */
     update: function () {
-        var state = this.model.get(this.handle, {raw: true});
-        var group_by_field = state.fields[state.groupedBy[0]];
-        var grouped_by_m2o = group_by_field && (group_by_field.type === 'many2one');
-        var groupCreate = this.is_action_enabled('group_create');
-        this.create_column_enabled = grouped_by_m2o && groupCreate;
+        this.createColumnEnabled = this._isCreateColumnEnabled();
         return this._super.apply(this, arguments);
     },
 
@@ -95,9 +90,26 @@ var KanbanController = BasicController.extend({
      */
     _hasContent: function (state) {
         return this._super.apply(this, arguments) ||
-               this.create_column_enabled ||
+               this.createColumnEnabled ||
                (state.groupedBy.length && state.data.length);
     },
+    /**
+     * The column quick create should be displayed in kanban iff grouped by an
+     * m2o field and group_create action enabled.
+     *
+     * @returns {Boolean}
+     */
+    _isCreateColumnEnabled: function () {
+        var groupCreate = this.is_action_enabled('group_create');
+        if (!groupCreate) {
+            // pre-return to avoid a lot of the following processing
+            return false;
+        }
+        var state = this.model.get(this.handle, {raw: true});
+        var groupByField = state.fields[state.groupedBy[0]];
+        var groupedByM2o = groupByField && (groupByField.type === 'many2one');
+        return groupedByM2o;
+    },
     /**
      * This method calls the server to ask for a resequence.  Note that this
      * does not rerender the user interface, because in most case, the
@@ -119,7 +131,7 @@ var KanbanController = BasicController.extend({
     _updateButtons: function () {
         if (this.$buttons) {
             var data = this.model.get(this.handle, {raw: true});
-            var create_muted = data.count === 0 && this.create_column_enabled;
+            var create_muted = data.count === 0 && this.createColumnEnabled;
             this.$buttons.find('.o-kanban-button-new')
                 .toggleClass('btn-primary', !create_muted)
                 .toggleClass('btn-default', create_muted);
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/views/kanban/kanban_view.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/views/kanban/kanban_view.js
index 190647037d5..55a90e83242 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/views/kanban/kanban_view.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/views/kanban/kanban_view.js
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ var KanbanView = BasicView.extend({
 
         var activeActions = this.controllerParams.activeActions;
         activeActions = _.extend(activeActions, {
+            group_create: arch.attrs.group_create ? JSON.parse(arch.attrs.group_create) : true,
             group_edit: arch.attrs.group_edit ? JSON.parse(arch.attrs.group_edit) : true,
             group_delete: arch.attrs.group_delete ? JSON.parse(arch.attrs.group_delete) : true,
         });
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ var KanbanView = BasicView.extend({
         this.rendererParams.column_options = {
             editable: activeActions.group_edit,
             deletable: activeActions.group_delete,
-            group_creatable: true,
+            group_creatable: activeActions.group_create,
             quick_create: params.isQuickCreateEnabled || this._isQuickCreateEnabled(viewInfo),
         };
         this.rendererParams.record_options = {
diff --git a/addons/web/static/tests/views/kanban_tests.js b/addons/web/static/tests/views/kanban_tests.js
index d804ab35d71..8141d8c8f79 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/tests/views/kanban_tests.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/tests/views/kanban_tests.js
@@ -913,6 +913,72 @@ QUnit.module('Views', {
         kanban.destroy();
     });
 
+    QUnit.test('no nocontent helper for grouped kanban with no records', function (assert) {
+        assert.expect(4);
+
+        this.data.partner.records = [];
+
+        var kanban = createView({
+            View: KanbanView,
+            model: 'partner',
+            data: this.data,
+            arch: '<kanban>' +
+                        '<templates><t t-name="kanban-box">' +
+                            '<div><field name="foo"/></div>' +
+                        '</t></templates>' +
+                    '</kanban>',
+            groupBy: ['product_id'],
+            viewOptions: {
+                action: {
+                    help: "No content helper",
+                },
+            },
+        });
+
+        assert.strictEqual(kanban.$('.o_kanban_group').length, 0,
+            "there should be no columns");
+        assert.strictEqual(kanban.$('.o_kanban_record').length, 0,
+            "there should be no records");
+        assert.strictEqual(kanban.$('.oe_view_nocontent').length, 0,
+            "there should be no nocontent helper");
+        assert.strictEqual(kanban.$('.o_column_quick_create').length, 1,
+            "there should be a column quick create");
+        kanban.destroy();
+    });
+
+    QUnit.test('nocontent helper for grouped kanban with no records with no group_create', function (assert) {
+        assert.expect(4);
+
+        this.data.partner.records = [];
+
+        var kanban = createView({
+            View: KanbanView,
+            model: 'partner',
+            data: this.data,
+            arch: '<kanban group_create="false">' +
+                        '<templates><t t-name="kanban-box">' +
+                            '<div><field name="foo"/></div>' +
+                        '</t></templates>' +
+                    '</kanban>',
+            groupBy: ['product_id'],
+            viewOptions: {
+                action: {
+                    help: "No content helper",
+                },
+            },
+        });
+
+        assert.strictEqual(kanban.$('.o_kanban_group').length, 0,
+            "there should be no columns");
+        assert.strictEqual(kanban.$('.o_kanban_record').length, 0,
+            "there should be no records");
+        assert.strictEqual(kanban.$('.oe_view_nocontent').length, 1,
+            "there should be a nocontent helper");
+        assert.strictEqual(kanban.$('.o_column_quick_create').length, 0,
+            "there should not be a column quick create");
+        kanban.destroy();
+    });
+
     QUnit.test('buttons with modifiers', function (assert) {
         assert.expect(2);