diff --git a/py-polars/src/dataframe/serde.rs b/py-polars/src/dataframe/serde.rs
index 8cfe0a692ca6..131262acf9c8 100644
--- a/py-polars/src/dataframe/serde.rs
+++ b/py-polars/src/dataframe/serde.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
-use std::io::{BufWriter, Cursor};
+use std::io::{BufReader, BufWriter, Cursor};
 use std::ops::Deref;
 
 use polars_io::mmap::ReaderBytes;
+use pyo3::exceptions::PyValueError;
 use pyo3::prelude::*;
 use pyo3::types::PyBytes;
 
@@ -42,17 +43,37 @@ impl PyDataFrame {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Serialize into binary data.
+    fn serialize_binary(&self, py_f: PyObject) -> PyResult<()> {
+        let file = get_file_like(py_f, true)?;
+        let writer = BufWriter::new(file);
+        ciborium::into_writer(&self.df, writer)
+            .map_err(|err| PyValueError::new_err(format!("{err:?}")))
+    }
+
+    /// Serialize into a JSON string.
     #[cfg(feature = "json")]
-    pub fn serialize(&mut self, py_f: PyObject) -> PyResult<()> {
-        let file = BufWriter::new(get_file_like(py_f, true)?);
-        serde_json::to_writer(file, &self.df)
-            .map_err(|e| polars_err!(ComputeError: "{e}"))
-            .map_err(|e| PyPolarsErr::Other(format!("{e}")).into())
+    pub fn serialize_json(&mut self, py_f: PyObject) -> PyResult<()> {
+        let file = get_file_like(py_f, true)?;
+        let writer = BufWriter::new(file);
+        serde_json::to_writer(writer, &self.df)
+            .map_err(|err| PyValueError::new_err(format!("{err:?}")))
+    }
+
+    /// Deserialize a file-like object containing binary data into a DataFrame.
+    #[staticmethod]
+    fn deserialize_binary(py_f: PyObject) -> PyResult<Self> {
+        let file = get_file_like(py_f, false)?;
+        let reader = BufReader::new(file);
+        let df = ciborium::from_reader::<DataFrame, _>(reader)
+            .map_err(|err| PyValueError::new_err(format!("{err:?}")))?;
+        Ok(df.into())
     }
 
+    /// Deserialize a file-like object containing JSON string data into a DataFrame.
     #[staticmethod]
     #[cfg(feature = "json")]
-    pub fn deserialize(py: Python, mut py_f: Bound<PyAny>) -> PyResult<Self> {
+    pub fn deserialize_json(py: Python, mut py_f: Bound<PyAny>) -> PyResult<Self> {
         use crate::file::read_if_bytesio;
         py_f = read_if_bytesio(py_f);
         let mut mmap_bytes_r = get_mmap_bytes_reader(&py_f)?;
diff --git a/py-polars/src/lazyframe/serde.rs b/py-polars/src/lazyframe/serde.rs
index c6a914c5e60a..af49c0f2ebd7 100644
--- a/py-polars/src/lazyframe/serde.rs
+++ b/py-polars/src/lazyframe/serde.rs
@@ -37,19 +37,19 @@ impl PyLazyFrame {
 
     /// Serialize into binary data.
     fn serialize_binary(&self, py_f: PyObject) -> PyResult<()> {
-        let file = BufWriter::new(get_file_like(py_f, true)?);
-        ciborium::into_writer(&self.ldf.logical_plan, file)
-            .map_err(|err| PyValueError::new_err(format!("{err:?}")))?;
-        Ok(())
+        let file = get_file_like(py_f, true)?;
+        let writer = BufWriter::new(file);
+        ciborium::into_writer(&self.ldf.logical_plan, writer)
+            .map_err(|err| PyValueError::new_err(format!("{err:?}")))
     }
 
     /// Serialize into a JSON string.
     #[cfg(feature = "json")]
     fn serialize_json(&self, py_f: PyObject) -> PyResult<()> {
-        let file = BufWriter::new(get_file_like(py_f, true)?);
-        serde_json::to_writer(file, &self.ldf.logical_plan)
-            .map_err(|err| PyValueError::new_err(format!("{err:?}")))?;
-        Ok(())
+        let file = get_file_like(py_f, true)?;
+        let writer = BufWriter::new(file);
+        serde_json::to_writer(writer, &self.ldf.logical_plan)
+            .map_err(|err| PyValueError::new_err(format!("{err:?}")))
     }
 
     /// Deserialize a file-like object containing binary data into a LazyFrame.
diff --git a/py-polars/tests/unit/dataframe/test_serde.py b/py-polars/tests/unit/dataframe/test_serde.py
index 35c45b3b913e..e1e0c1970545 100644
--- a/py-polars/tests/unit/dataframe/test_serde.py
+++ b/py-polars/tests/unit/dataframe/test_serde.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
 
 import pytest
-from hypothesis import given
+from hypothesis import example, given
 
 import polars as pl
 from polars.exceptions import ComputeError
@@ -17,6 +17,13 @@
     from pathlib import Path
 
 
+@given(df=dataframes())
+def test_df_serde_roundtrip_binary(df: pl.DataFrame) -> None:
+    serialized = df.serialize()
+    result = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(io.BytesIO(serialized), format="binary")
+    assert_frame_equal(result, df, categorical_as_str=True)
+
+
 @given(
     df=dataframes(
         excluded_dtypes=[
@@ -25,24 +32,47 @@
         ],
     )
 )
-def test_df_serde_roundtrip(df: pl.DataFrame) -> None:
-    serialized = df.serialize()
-    result = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(io.StringIO(serialized))
+@example(df=pl.DataFrame({"a": [None, None]}, schema={"a": pl.Null}))
+@example(df=pl.DataFrame(schema={"a": pl.List(pl.String)}))
+def test_df_serde_roundtrip_json(df: pl.DataFrame) -> None:
+    serialized = df.serialize(format="json")
+    result = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(io.StringIO(serialized), format="json")
     assert_frame_equal(result, df, categorical_as_str=True)
 
 
-def test_df_serialize() -> None:
+def test_df_serde(df: pl.DataFrame) -> None:
+    serialized = df.serialize()
+    assert isinstance(serialized, bytes)
+    result = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(io.BytesIO(serialized))
+    assert_frame_equal(result, df)
+
+
+def test_df_serde_json_stringio(df: pl.DataFrame) -> None:
+    serialized = df.serialize(format="json")
+    assert isinstance(serialized, str)
+    result = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(io.StringIO(serialized), format="json")
+    assert_frame_equal(result, df)
+
+
+def test_df_serialize_json() -> None:
     df = pl.DataFrame({"a": [1, 2, 3], "b": [4, 5, 6]}).sort("a")
-    result = df.serialize()
+    result = df.serialize(format="json")
     expected = '{"columns":[{"name":"a","datatype":"Int64","bit_settings":"SORTED_ASC","values":[1,2,3]},{"name":"b","datatype":"Int64","bit_settings":"","values":[4,5,6]}]}'
     assert result == expected
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("buf", [io.BytesIO(), io.StringIO()])
-def test_df_serde_to_from_buffer(df: pl.DataFrame, buf: io.IOBase) -> None:
-    df.serialize(buf)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("format", "buf"),
+    [
+        ("binary", io.BytesIO()),
+        ("json", io.StringIO()),
+        ("json", io.BytesIO()),
+    ],
+)
+def test_df_serde_to_from_buffer(df: pl.DataFrame, format: str, buf: io.IOBase) -> None:
+    df.serialize(buf, format=format)
     buf.seek(0)
-    read_df = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(buf)
+    read_df = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(buf, format=format)
     assert_frame_equal(df, read_df, categorical_as_str=True)
 
 
@@ -50,19 +80,19 @@ def test_df_serde_to_from_buffer(df: pl.DataFrame, buf: io.IOBase) -> None:
 def test_df_serde_to_from_file(df: pl.DataFrame, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     tmp_path.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
 
-    file_path = tmp_path / "small.json"
+    file_path = tmp_path / "small.bin"
     df.serialize(file_path)
     out = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(file_path)
 
     assert_frame_equal(df, out, categorical_as_str=True)
 
 
-def test_write_json(df: pl.DataFrame) -> None:
+def test_df_serde2(df: pl.DataFrame) -> None:
     # Text-based conversion loses time info
     df = df.select(pl.all().exclude(["cat", "time"]))
     s = df.serialize()
     f = io.BytesIO()
-    f.write(s.encode())
+    f.write(s)
     f.seek(0)
     out = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(f)
     assert_frame_equal(out, df)
@@ -77,7 +107,7 @@ def test_write_json(df: pl.DataFrame) -> None:
 def test_df_serde_enum() -> None:
     dtype = pl.Enum(["foo", "bar", "ham"])
     df = pl.DataFrame([pl.Series("e", ["foo", "bar", "ham"], dtype=dtype)])
-    buf = io.StringIO()
+    buf = io.BytesIO()
     df.serialize(buf)
     buf.seek(0)
     df_in = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(buf)
@@ -111,7 +141,7 @@ def test_df_serde_enum() -> None:
 )
 def test_df_serde_array(data: Any, dtype: pl.DataType) -> None:
     df = pl.DataFrame({"foo": data}, schema={"foo": dtype})
-    buf = io.StringIO()
+    buf = io.BytesIO()
     df.serialize(buf)
     buf.seek(0)
     deserialized_df = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(buf)
@@ -146,33 +176,18 @@ def test_df_serde_array(data: Any, dtype: pl.DataType) -> None:
 )
 def test_df_serde_array_logical_inner_type(data: Any, dtype: pl.DataType) -> None:
     df = pl.DataFrame({"foo": data}, schema={"foo": dtype})
-    buf = io.StringIO()
+    buf = io.BytesIO()
     df.serialize(buf)
     buf.seek(0)
-    deserialized_df = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(buf)
-    assert deserialized_df.dtypes == df.dtypes
-    assert deserialized_df.to_dict(as_series=False) == df.to_dict(as_series=False)
-
-
-def test_df_serde_empty_list_10458() -> None:
-    schema = {"LIST_OF_STRINGS": pl.List(pl.String)}
-    serialized_schema = pl.DataFrame(schema=schema).serialize()
-    df = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(io.StringIO(serialized_schema))
-    assert df.schema == schema
+    result = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(buf)
+    assert_frame_equal(result, df)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.xfail(reason="Bug: https://github.com/pola-rs/polars/issues/17211")
 def test_df_serde_float_inf_nan() -> None:
     df = pl.DataFrame({"a": [1.0, float("inf"), float("-inf"), float("nan")]})
-    ser = df.serialize()
-    result = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(io.StringIO(ser))
-    assert_frame_equal(result, df)
-
-
-def test_df_serde_null() -> None:
-    df = pl.DataFrame({"a": [None, None]}, schema={"a": pl.Null})
-    ser = df.serialize()
-    result = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(io.StringIO(ser))
+    ser = df.serialize(format="json")
+    result = pl.DataFrame.deserialize(io.StringIO(ser), format="json")
     assert_frame_equal(result, df)
 
 
@@ -201,4 +216,4 @@ def test_df_deserialize_validation() -> None:
     """
     )
     with pytest.raises(ComputeError, match=r"lengths don't match"):
-        pl.DataFrame.deserialize(f)
+        pl.DataFrame.deserialize(f, format="json")
diff --git a/py-polars/tests/unit/lazyframe/test_serde.py b/py-polars/tests/unit/lazyframe/test_serde.py
index 85dd17b789fc..4bd7a22f7906 100644
--- a/py-polars/tests/unit/lazyframe/test_serde.py
+++ b/py-polars/tests/unit/lazyframe/test_serde.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 from hypothesis import example, given
 
 import polars as pl
+from polars.exceptions import ComputeError
 from polars.testing import assert_frame_equal
 from polars.testing.parametric import dataframes
 
@@ -81,3 +82,9 @@ def test_lf_serde_to_from_file(lf: pl.LazyFrame, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     result = pl.LazyFrame.deserialize(file_path)
 
     assert_frame_equal(lf, result)
+
+
+def test_lf_deserialize_validation() -> None:
+    f = io.BytesIO(b"hello world!")
+    with pytest.raises(ComputeError, match="expected value at line 1 column 1"):
+        pl.DataFrame.deserialize(f, format="json")