diff --git a/r/NAMESPACE b/r/NAMESPACE
index 8ef7591bc992c..0b5c647a0cd18 100644
--- a/r/NAMESPACE
+++ b/r/NAMESPACE
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export(int64)
 export(int8)
 export(list_of)
 export(null)
+export(read_record_batch)
 export(record_batch)
 export(schema)
 export(struct)
diff --git a/r/R/RcppExports.R b/r/R/RcppExports.R
index 35c3bf9f378e2..08d8af5c89e7f 100644
--- a/r/R/RcppExports.R
+++ b/r/R/RcppExports.R
@@ -97,6 +97,10 @@ RecordBatch_to_file <- function(batch, path) {
     .Call(`_arrow_RecordBatch_to_file`, batch, path)
 }
 
+read_record_batch_ <- function(path) {
+    .Call(`_arrow_read_record_batch_`, path)
+}
+
 Field_initialize <- function(name, type, nullable = TRUE) {
     .Call(`_arrow_Field_initialize`, name, type, nullable)
 }
diff --git a/r/R/array.R b/r/R/array.R
index 7a4f365a9f086..24bfb72257800 100644
--- a/r/R/array.R
+++ b/r/R/array.R
@@ -63,13 +63,10 @@ array <- function(...){
 
 `arrow::RecordBatch` <- R6Class("arrow::RecordBatch", inherit = `arrow::Object`,
   public = list(
-    initialize = function(.data){
-      self$set_pointer(dataframe_to_RecordBatch(.data))
-    },
     num_columns = function() RecordBatch_num_columns(self),
     num_rows = function() RecordBatch_num_rows(self),
-    schema = function() schema(.xp = RecordBatch_schema(self)),
-    to_file = function(path) RecordBatch_to_file(self, fs::path_abs(path))
+    schema = function() `arrow::Schema`$new(RecordBatch_schema(self)),
+    to_file = function(path) invisible(RecordBatch_to_file(self, fs::path_abs(path)))
   )
 )
 
@@ -79,17 +76,19 @@ array <- function(...){
 #'
 #' @export
 record_batch <- function(.data){
-  `arrow::RecordBatch`$new(.data)
+  `arrow::RecordBatch`$new(dataframe_to_RecordBatch(.data))
+}
+
+#' @export
+read_record_batch <- function(path){
+  `arrow::RecordBatch`$new(read_record_batch_(fs::path_abs(path)))
 }
 
 `arrow::Table` <- R6Class("arrow::Table", inherit = `arrow::Object`,
   public = list(
-    initialize = function(.data){
-      self$set_pointer(dataframe_to_Table(.data))
-    },
     num_columns = function() Table_num_columns(self),
     num_rows = function() Table_num_rows(self),
-    schema = function() schema(.xp = Table_schema(self))
+    schema = function() `arrow::Schema`$new(Table_schema(self))
   )
 )
 
@@ -99,5 +98,5 @@ record_batch <- function(.data){
 #'
 #' @export
 table <- function(.data){
-  `arrow::Table`$new(.data)
+  `arrow::Table`$new(dataframe_to_Table(.data))
 }
diff --git a/r/src/RcppExports.cpp b/r/src/RcppExports.cpp
index 79881cedf0a50..d84980b2233b3 100644
--- a/r/src/RcppExports.cpp
+++ b/r/src/RcppExports.cpp
@@ -275,6 +275,17 @@ BEGIN_RCPP
     return rcpp_result_gen;
 END_RCPP
 }
+// read_record_batch_
+std::shared_ptr<arrow::RecordBatch> read_record_batch_(std::string path);
+RcppExport SEXP _arrow_read_record_batch_(SEXP pathSEXP) {
+BEGIN_RCPP
+    Rcpp::RObject rcpp_result_gen;
+    Rcpp::RNGScope rcpp_rngScope_gen;
+    Rcpp::traits::input_parameter< std::string >::type path(pathSEXP);
+    rcpp_result_gen = Rcpp::wrap(read_record_batch_(path));
+    return rcpp_result_gen;
+END_RCPP
+}
 // Field_initialize
 std::shared_ptr<arrow::Field> Field_initialize(const std::string& name, const std::shared_ptr<arrow::DataType>& type, bool nullable);
 RcppExport SEXP _arrow_Field_initialize(SEXP nameSEXP, SEXP typeSEXP, SEXP nullableSEXP) {
@@ -860,6 +871,7 @@ static const R_CallMethodDef CallEntries[] = {
     {"_arrow_Table_num_rows", (DL_FUNC) &_arrow_Table_num_rows, 1},
     {"_arrow_Table_schema", (DL_FUNC) &_arrow_Table_schema, 1},
     {"_arrow_RecordBatch_to_file", (DL_FUNC) &_arrow_RecordBatch_to_file, 2},
+    {"_arrow_read_record_batch_", (DL_FUNC) &_arrow_read_record_batch_, 1},
     {"_arrow_Field_initialize", (DL_FUNC) &_arrow_Field_initialize, 3},
     {"_arrow_Field_ToString", (DL_FUNC) &_arrow_Field_ToString, 1},
     {"_arrow_Field_name", (DL_FUNC) &_arrow_Field_name, 1},
diff --git a/r/src/buffer.cpp b/r/src/buffer.cpp
index 50b33d5e88f0f..d83ae877b1e73 100644
--- a/r/src/buffer.cpp
+++ b/r/src/buffer.cpp
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include "arrow_types.h"
 #include <arrow/io/file.h>
 #include <arrow/ipc/writer.h>
+#include <arrow/ipc/reader.h>
 
 using namespace Rcpp;
 using namespace arrow;
@@ -154,3 +155,17 @@ int RecordBatch_to_file(const std::shared_ptr<arrow::RecordBatch>& batch, std::s
   return offset;
 }
 
+// [[Rcpp::export]]
+std::shared_ptr<arrow::RecordBatch> read_record_batch_(std::string path) {
+  std::shared_ptr<arrow::io::ReadableFile> stream;
+  std::shared_ptr<arrow::ipc::RecordBatchFileReader> rbf_reader;
+
+  R_ERROR_NOT_OK(arrow::io::ReadableFile::Open(path, &stream));
+  R_ERROR_NOT_OK(arrow::ipc::RecordBatchFileReader::Open(stream, &rbf_reader));
+
+  std::shared_ptr<arrow::RecordBatch> batch;
+  R_ERROR_NOT_OK(rbf_reader->ReadRecordBatch(0, &batch));
+
+  R_ERROR_NOT_OK(stream->Close());
+  return batch;
+}