diff --git a/src/glua.gleam b/src/glua.gleam
index cc5ae51..eab69b9 100644
--- a/src/glua.gleam
+++ b/src/glua.gleam
@@ -72,6 +72,16 @@ pub fn float(v: Float) -> Value
 @external(erlang, "glua_ffi", "coerce")
 pub fn table(values: List(#(Value, Value))) -> Value
 
+pub fn alloc_table(lua: Lua, values: List(#(Value, Value))) -> #(Lua, Value) {
+  let #(val, lua) = do_alloc_table(values, lua)
+  #(lua, val)
+}
+
+pub fn alloc_userdata(lua: Lua, a: anything) -> #(Lua, Value) {
+  let #(val, lua) = do_alloc_userdata(a, lua)
+  #(lua, val)
+}
+
 pub fn table_decoder(
   keys_decoder: decode.Decoder(a),
   values_decoder: decode.Decoder(b),
@@ -333,7 +343,7 @@ pub fn set(
       Ok(_) -> Ok(#(keys, lua))
 
       Error(KeyNotFound) -> {
-        let #(tbl, lua) = alloc_table([], lua)
+        let #(tbl, lua) = do_alloc_table([], lua)
         do_set(lua, keys, tbl)
         |> result.map(fn(lua) { #(keys, lua) })
       }
@@ -400,8 +410,11 @@ pub fn set_lua_paths(
   set(lua, ["package", "path"], paths)
 }
 
-@external(erlang, "luerl_emul", "alloc_table")
-fn alloc_table(content: List(a), lua: Lua) -> #(a, Lua)
+@external(erlang, "luerl_heap", "alloc_table")
+fn do_alloc_table(content: List(a), lua: Lua) -> #(Value, Lua)
+
+@external(erlang, "luerl_heap", "alloc_userdata")
+fn do_alloc_userdata(a: anything, lua: Lua) -> #(Value, Lua)
 
 @external(erlang, "glua_ffi", "get_table_keys_dec")
 fn do_get(lua: Lua, keys: List(String)) -> Result(dynamic.Dynamic, LuaError)
diff --git a/src/glua_ffi.erl b/src/glua_ffi.erl
index 1edf9e7..8e4a612 100644
--- a/src/glua_ffi.erl
+++ b/src/glua_ffi.erl
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
 
 -export([coerce/1, coerce_nil/0, coerce_userdata/1, wrap_fun/1, sandbox_fun/1, get_table_keys/2, get_table_keys_dec/2,
          get_private/2, set_table_keys/3, load/2, load_file/2, eval/2, eval_dec/2, eval_file/2,
-         eval_file_dec/2, eval_chunk/2, eval_chunk_dec/2, call_function/3, call_function_dec/3]).
+         eval_file_dec/2, eval_chunk/2, eval_chunk_dec/2, call_function/3, call_function_dec/3,
+         alloc/2]).
 
 %% turn `{userdata, Data}` into `Data` to make it more easy to decode it in Gleam
 maybe_process_userdata(Lst) when is_list(Lst) ->
@@ -58,6 +59,21 @@ is_encoded({erl_mfa,_,_,_}) ->
 is_encoded(_) ->
     false.
 
+encode(X, St0) ->
+    case is_encoded(X) of
+        true -> {X, St0};
+        false -> luerl:encode(X, St0)
+    end.
+
+encode_list(L, St0) when is_list(L) ->
+    Enc = fun(X, {L1, St}) ->
+                  {Enc, St1} = encode(X, St),
+                  {[Enc | L1], St1}
+          end,
+    {L1, St1} = lists:foldl(Enc, {[], St0}, L),
+    {lists:reverse(L1), St1}.
+
+
 %% TODO: Improve compiler errors handling and try to detect more errors
 map_error({error, [{_, luerl_parse, Errors} | _], _}) ->
     FormattedErrors = lists:map(fun(E) -> list_to_binary(E) end, Errors),
@@ -97,6 +113,15 @@ coerce_nil() ->
 coerce_userdata(X) ->
     {userdata, X}.
 
+alloc(St0, Value) when is_list(Value) ->
+    {Enc, St1} = luerl_heap:alloc_table(Value, St0),
+    {St1, Enc};
+alloc(St0, {usrdef,_}=Value) ->
+    {Enc, St1} = luerl_heap:alloc_userdata(Value, St0),
+    {St1, Enc};
+alloc(St0, Other) ->
+    {St0, Other}.
+
 wrap_fun(Fun) ->
     fun(Args, State) ->
             Decoded = luerl:decode_list(Args, State),
@@ -165,11 +190,11 @@ eval_file_dec(Lua, Path) ->
                  unicode:characters_to_list(Path), Lua)).
 
 call_function(Lua, Fun, Args) ->
-    {EncodedArgs, State} = luerl:encode_list(Args, Lua),
+    {EncodedArgs, State} = encode_list(Args, Lua),
     to_gleam(luerl:call(Fun, EncodedArgs, State)).
 
 call_function_dec(Lua, Fun, Args) ->
-    {EncodedArgs, St1} = luerl:encode_list(Args, Lua),
+    {EncodedArgs, St1} = encode_list(Args, Lua),
     case luerl:call(Fun, EncodedArgs, St1) of
         {ok, Ret, St2} ->
             Values = luerl:decode_list(Ret, St2),
diff --git a/test/glua_test.gleam b/test/glua_test.gleam
index 184baa2..c69acb3 100644
--- a/test/glua_test.gleam
+++ b/test/glua_test.gleam
@@ -551,3 +551,22 @@ pub fn nested_function_references_test() {
     glua.call_function(state: lua, ref:, args: [arg], using: decode.float)
   assert result == 20.0
 }
+
+pub fn alloc_test() {
+  let #(lua, table) = glua.alloc_table(glua.new(), [])
+  let proxy =
+    glua.function(fn(lua, _args) { #(lua, [glua.string("constant")]) })
+  let metatable = glua.table([#(glua.string("__index"), proxy)])
+  let assert Ok(#(lua, _)) =
+    glua.ref_call_function_by_name(lua, ["setmetatable"], [table, metatable])
+  let assert Ok(lua) = glua.set(lua, ["test_table"], table)
+
+  let assert Ok(#(_lua, [ret1])) =
+    glua.eval(lua, "return test_table.any_key", decode.string)
+
+  let assert Ok(#(_lua, [ret2])) =
+    glua.eval(lua, "return test_table.other_key", decode.string)
+
+  assert ret1 == "constant"
+  assert ret2 == "constant"
+}