diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7d315c2ae17..ba9a39dbfbe 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -10,11 +10,15 @@ Nokogiri follows [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/), please see the [REA
 
 ### Added
 
+* Serialization methods like `#to_xml`, `#to_html`, `#serialize`, and `#write_to` now accept `Encoding` objects specifying the output encoding. Previously only encoding names (strings) were accepted. [[#2774](https://github.com/sparklemotion/nokogiri/issues/2774), [#2798](https://github.com/sparklemotion/nokogiri/issues/2798)] (Thanks, [@ellaklara](https://github.com/ellaklara)!)
+
+
 ### Changed
 
 ### Fixed
 
 * [JRuby] Serializing an HTML4 document with `#write_to` and specifying no save options will properly emit an HTML document anyway, like libxml2 does. Previously JRuby emitted XML in this situation.
+* [JRuby] Serializing with `#write_to` will fall back to the document encoding when no encoding is specified, like libxml2 does. Previously JRuby emitted UTF-8 in this situation.
 
 
 ### Improved
diff --git a/lib/nokogiri/html5/node.rb b/lib/nokogiri/html5/node.rb
index 5edbb366574..b2773868b57 100644
--- a/lib/nokogiri/html5/node.rb
+++ b/lib/nokogiri/html5/node.rb
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@
 #  limitations under the License.
 #
 
+#
+#  TODO: this whole file should go away. maybe make it a decorator?
+#
 require_relative "../xml/node"
 
 module Nokogiri
@@ -50,6 +53,8 @@ def write_to(io, *options)
         config = XML::Node::SaveOptions.new(save_options.to_i)
         yield config if block_given?
 
+        encoding = encoding.is_a?(Encoding) ? encoding.name : encoding
+
         config_options = config.options
         if config_options & (XML::Node::SaveOptions::AS_XML | XML::Node::SaveOptions::AS_XHTML) != 0
           # Use Nokogiri's serializing code.
diff --git a/lib/nokogiri/xml/node.rb b/lib/nokogiri/xml/node.rb
index e2ca9372976..d106651e6de 100644
--- a/lib/nokogiri/xml/node.rb
+++ b/lib/nokogiri/xml/node.rb
@@ -1269,11 +1269,11 @@ def <=>(other)
       #
       # These two statements are equivalent:
       #
-      #  node.serialize(:encoding => 'UTF-8', :save_with => FORMAT | AS_XML)
+      #   node.serialize(encoding: 'UTF-8', save_with: FORMAT | AS_XML)
       #
       # or
       #
-      #   node.serialize(:encoding => 'UTF-8') do |config|
+      #   node.serialize(encoding: 'UTF-8') do |config|
       #     config.format.as_xml
       #   end
       #
@@ -1310,7 +1310,7 @@ def to_html(options = {})
       ###
       # Serialize this Node to XML using +options+
       #
-      #   doc.to_xml(:indent => 5, :encoding => 'UTF-8')
+      #   doc.to_xml(indent: 5, encoding: 'UTF-8')
       #
       # See Node#write_to for a list of +options+
       def to_xml(options = {})
@@ -1321,7 +1321,7 @@ def to_xml(options = {})
       ###
       # Serialize this Node to XHTML using +options+
       #
-      #   doc.to_xhtml(:indent => 5, :encoding => 'UTF-8')
+      #   doc.to_xhtml(indent: 5, encoding: 'UTF-8')
       #
       # See Node#write_to for a list of +options+
       def to_xhtml(options = {})
@@ -1329,25 +1329,32 @@ def to_xhtml(options = {})
       end
 
       ###
-      # Write Node to +io+ with +options+. +options+ modify the output of
-      # this method.  Valid options are:
+      # :call-seq:
+      #   write_to(io, *options)
+      #
+      # Serialize this node or document to +io+.
       #
-      # * +:encoding+ for changing the encoding
-      # * +:indent_text+ the indentation text, defaults to one space
-      # * +:indent+ the number of +:indent_text+ to use, defaults to 2
-      # * +:save_with+ a combination of SaveOptions constants.
+      # [Parameters]
+      # - +io+ (IO) An IO-like object to which the serialized content will be written.
+      # - +options+ (Hash) See below
+      #
+      # [Options]
+      # * +:encoding+ (String or Encoding) specify the encoding of the output (defaults to document encoding)
+      # * +:indent_text+ (String) the indentation text (defaults to <code>" "</code>)
+      # * +:indent+ (Integer) the number of +:indent_text+ to use (defaults to +2+)
+      # * +:save_with+ (Integer) a combination of SaveOptions constants
       #
       # To save with UTF-8 indented twice:
       #
-      #   node.write_to(io, :encoding => 'UTF-8', :indent => 2)
+      #   node.write_to(io, encoding: 'UTF-8', indent: 2)
       #
       # To save indented with two dashes:
       #
-      #   node.write_to(io, :indent_text => '-', :indent => 2)
+      #   node.write_to(io, indent_text: '-', indent: 2)
       #
       def write_to(io, *options)
         options = options.first.is_a?(Hash) ? options.shift : {}
-        encoding = options[:encoding] || options[0]
+        encoding = options[:encoding] || options[0] || document.encoding
         if Nokogiri.jruby?
           save_options = options[:save_with] || options[1]
           indent_times = options[:indent] || 0
@@ -1365,6 +1372,8 @@ def write_to(io, *options)
         config = SaveOptions.new(save_options.to_i)
         yield config if block_given?
 
+        encoding = encoding.is_a?(Encoding) ? encoding.name : encoding
+
         native_write_to(io, encoding, indentation, config.options)
       end
 
diff --git a/test/test_serialization_encoding.rb b/test/test_serialization_encoding.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..29ed10e0139
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_serialization_encoding.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+# coding: utf-8
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require "helper"
+
+class TestSerializationEncoding < Nokogiri::TestCase
+  def round_trip_through_file
+    Tempfile.create do |io|
+      yield io
+      io.rewind
+      io.read
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "serialization encoding" do
+    matrix = [
+      {
+        klass: Nokogiri::XML::Document,
+        documents: [
+          { encoding: Encoding::UTF_8, path: ADDRESS_XML_FILE },
+          { encoding: Encoding::Shift_JIS, path: SHIFT_JIS_XML },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        klass: Nokogiri::HTML4::Document,
+        documents: [
+          { encoding: Encoding::UTF_8, path: HTML_FILE },
+          { encoding: Encoding::Shift_JIS, path: SHIFT_JIS_HTML },
+        ],
+      },
+    ]
+    if Nokogiri.uses_gumbo?
+      matrix << {
+        klass: Nokogiri::HTML5::Document,
+        documents: [
+          { encoding: Encoding::UTF_8, path: HTML_FILE },
+          { encoding: Encoding::Shift_JIS, path: SHIFT_JIS_HTML },
+        ],
+      }
+    end
+
+    matrix.each do |matrix_entry|
+      describe matrix_entry[:klass] do
+        let(:klass) { matrix_entry[:klass] }
+        matrix_entry[:documents].each do |document|
+          describe document[:encoding] do
+            it "serializes with the expected encoding" do
+              doc = klass.parse(
+                File.read(
+                  document[:path],
+                  encoding: document[:encoding],
+                ),
+              )
+
+              expected_default_encoding =
+                if defined?(Nokogiri::HTML5::Document) && klass == Nokogiri::HTML5::Document
+                  Encoding::UTF_8 # FIXME: see #2801, this should be document[:encoding]
+                else
+                  document[:encoding]
+                end
+
+              assert_equal(expected_default_encoding, doc.to_s.encoding)
+
+              assert_equal(expected_default_encoding, doc.to_xml.encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::UTF_8, doc.to_xml(encoding: "UTF-8").encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::Shift_JIS, doc.to_xml(encoding: "SHIFT_JIS").encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::UTF_8, doc.to_xml(encoding: Encoding::UTF_8).encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::Shift_JIS, doc.to_xml(encoding: Encoding::Shift_JIS).encoding)
+
+              assert_equal(expected_default_encoding, doc.to_xhtml.encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::UTF_8, doc.to_xhtml(encoding: "UTF-8").encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::Shift_JIS, doc.to_xhtml(encoding: "SHIFT_JIS").encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::UTF_8, doc.to_xhtml(encoding: Encoding::UTF_8).encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::Shift_JIS, doc.to_xhtml(encoding: Encoding::Shift_JIS).encoding)
+
+              assert_equal(expected_default_encoding, doc.to_html.encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::UTF_8, doc.to_html(encoding: "UTF-8").encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::Shift_JIS, doc.to_html(encoding: "SHIFT_JIS").encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::UTF_8, doc.to_html(encoding: Encoding::UTF_8).encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::Shift_JIS, doc.to_html(encoding: Encoding::Shift_JIS).encoding)
+
+              assert_equal(expected_default_encoding, doc.serialize.encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::UTF_8, doc.serialize(encoding: "UTF-8").encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::Shift_JIS, doc.serialize(encoding: "SHIFT_JIS").encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::UTF_8, doc.serialize(encoding: Encoding::UTF_8).encoding)
+              assert_equal(Encoding::Shift_JIS, doc.serialize(encoding: Encoding::Shift_JIS).encoding)
+
+              assert_equal(
+                doc.serialize.bytes,
+                round_trip_through_file { |io| doc.write_to(io) }.bytes,
+              )
+              assert_equal(
+                doc.serialize(encoding: "UTF-8").bytes,
+                round_trip_through_file { |io| doc.write_to(io, encoding: "UTF-8") }.bytes,
+              )
+              assert_equal(
+                doc.serialize(encoding: "SHIFT_JIS").bytes,
+                round_trip_through_file { |io| doc.write_to(io, encoding: "SHIFT_JIS") }.bytes,
+              )
+              assert_equal(
+                doc.serialize(encoding: "UTF-8").bytes,
+                round_trip_through_file { |io| doc.write_to(io, encoding: Encoding::UTF_8) }.bytes,
+              )
+              assert_equal(
+                doc.serialize(encoding: "Shift_JIS").bytes,
+                round_trip_through_file { |io| doc.write_to(io, encoding: Encoding::Shift_JIS) }.bytes,
+              )
+            end
+          end
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end