diff --git a/light-poseidon/Cargo.toml b/light-poseidon/Cargo.toml
index 6b86875..56105a1 100644
--- a/light-poseidon/Cargo.toml
+++ b/light-poseidon/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ edition = "2021"
 [dependencies]
 ark-bn254 = "0.5.0"
 ark-ff = "0.5.0"
-num-bigint = "0.4.4"
+arrayvec = "0.7.8"
 thiserror = "1.0"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
diff --git a/light-poseidon/src/lib.rs b/light-poseidon/src/lib.rs
index d3a9d02..e2dbd1f 100644
--- a/light-poseidon/src/lib.rs
+++ b/light-poseidon/src/lib.rs
@@ -130,12 +130,14 @@
 //! read the audit report [here](https://github.com/Lightprotocol/light-poseidon/blob/main/assets/audit.pdf).
 use ark_bn254::Fr;
 use ark_ff::{BigInteger, PrimeField, Zero};
+use arrayvec::ArrayVec;
 use thiserror::Error;
 
 pub mod parameters;
 
 pub const HASH_LEN: usize = 32;
 pub const MAX_X5_LEN: usize = 13;
+pub const MAX_INPUTS: usize = 12;
 
 #[derive(Error, Debug, PartialEq)]
 pub enum PoseidonError {
@@ -312,7 +314,7 @@ pub trait PoseidonBytesHasher {
 pub struct Poseidon<F: PrimeField> {
     params: PoseidonParameters<F>,
     domain_tag: F,
-    state: Vec<F>,
+    state: ArrayVec<F, MAX_X5_LEN>,
 }
 
 impl<F: PrimeField> Poseidon<F> {
@@ -325,14 +327,24 @@ impl<F: PrimeField> Poseidon<F> {
     }
 
     fn with_domain_tag(params: PoseidonParameters<F>, domain_tag: F) -> Self {
-        let width = params.width;
         Self {
             domain_tag,
             params,
-            state: Vec::with_capacity(width),
+            state: ArrayVec::new(),
         }
     }
 
+    fn validate_inputs_length<T>(&self, inputs: &[T]) -> Result<(), PoseidonError> {
+        if inputs.len() != self.params.width - 1 {
+            return Err(PoseidonError::InvalidNumberOfInputs {
+                inputs: inputs.len(),
+                max_limit: self.params.width - 1,
+                width: self.params.width,
+            });
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     #[inline(always)]
     fn apply_ark(&mut self, round: usize) {
         self.state.iter_mut().enumerate().for_each(|(i, a)| {
@@ -388,14 +400,7 @@ impl<F: PrimeField> Poseidon<F> {
 
 impl<F: PrimeField> PoseidonHasher<F> for Poseidon<F> {
     fn hash(&mut self, inputs: &[F]) -> Result<F, PoseidonError> {
-        if inputs.len() != self.params.width - 1 {
-            return Err(PoseidonError::InvalidNumberOfInputs {
-                inputs: inputs.len(),
-                max_limit: self.params.width - 1,
-                width: self.params.width,
-            });
-        }
-
+        self.validate_inputs_length(inputs)?;
         self.state.push(self.domain_tag);
 
         for input in inputs {
@@ -430,32 +435,81 @@ impl<F: PrimeField> PoseidonHasher<F> for Poseidon<F> {
     }
 }
 
+/// Serializes prime field elements into the fixed-size hash output byte
+/// array ([`HASH_LEN`]) directly from their limbs, without the intermediate
+/// `Vec<u8>` produced by `to_bytes_be`/`to_bytes_le`.
+trait IntoHashBytes {
+    /// Serializes the element in big-endian byte order, returning `None`
+    /// when the element's byte length does not match [`HASH_LEN`].
+    fn into_hash_bytes_be(self) -> Option<[u8; HASH_LEN]>;
+    /// Serializes the element in little-endian byte order, returning `None`
+    /// when the element's byte length does not match [`HASH_LEN`].
+    fn into_hash_bytes_le(self) -> Option<[u8; HASH_LEN]>;
+}
+
+fn fill_hash_bytes_be<F: PrimeField>(element: F) -> Option<[u8; HASH_LEN]> {
+    let bigint = element.into_bigint();
+    let limbs = bigint.as_ref();
+    if limbs.len() * 8 != HASH_LEN {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let mut hash_bytes = [0u8; HASH_LEN];
+    for (i, limb) in limbs.iter().rev().enumerate() {
+        hash_bytes[i * 8..i * 8 + 8].copy_from_slice(&limb.to_be_bytes());
+    }
+    Some(hash_bytes)
+}
+
+fn fill_hash_bytes_le<F: PrimeField>(element: F) -> Option<[u8; HASH_LEN]> {
+    let bigint = element.into_bigint();
+    let limbs = bigint.as_ref();
+    if limbs.len() * 8 != HASH_LEN {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let mut hash_bytes = [0u8; HASH_LEN];
+    for (i, limb) in limbs.iter().enumerate() {
+        hash_bytes[i * 8..i * 8 + 8].copy_from_slice(&limb.to_le_bytes());
+    }
+    Some(hash_bytes)
+}
+
+impl<F: PrimeField> IntoHashBytes for F {
+    fn into_hash_bytes_be(self) -> Option<[u8; HASH_LEN]> {
+        fill_hash_bytes_be(self)
+    }
+
+    fn into_hash_bytes_le(self) -> Option<[u8; HASH_LEN]> {
+        fill_hash_bytes_le(self)
+    }
+}
+
 macro_rules! impl_hash_bytes {
-    ($fn_name:ident, $bytes_to_prime_field_element_fn:ident, $to_bytes_fn:ident) => {
+    ($fn_name:ident, $bytes_to_prime_field_element_fn:ident, $into_hash_bytes_fn:ident) => {
         fn $fn_name(&mut self, inputs: &[&[u8]]) -> Result<[u8; HASH_LEN], PoseidonError> {
-            let inputs: Result<Vec<_>, _> = inputs
-                .iter()
-                .map(|input| validate_bytes_length::<F>(input))
-                .collect();
-            let inputs = inputs?;
-            let inputs: Result<Vec<_>, _> = inputs
-                .iter()
-                .map(|input| $bytes_to_prime_field_element_fn(input))
-                .collect();
-            let inputs = inputs?;
-            let hash = self.hash(&inputs)?;
-
-            hash.into_bigint()
-                .$to_bytes_fn()
-                .try_into()
-                .map_err(|_| PoseidonError::VecToArray)
+            let mut deserialized_inputs: ArrayVec<F, MAX_INPUTS> = ArrayVec::new();
+            for input in inputs {
+                validate_bytes_length::<F>(input)?;
+                let deserialized_input = $bytes_to_prime_field_element_fn(input)?;
+                deserialized_inputs.push(deserialized_input);
+            }
+            let hash = self.hash(deserialized_inputs.as_slice())?;
+
+            hash.$into_hash_bytes_fn().ok_or(PoseidonError::VecToArray)
         }
     };
 }
 
 impl<F: PrimeField> PoseidonBytesHasher for Poseidon<F> {
-    impl_hash_bytes!(hash_bytes_le, bytes_to_prime_field_element_le, to_bytes_le);
-    impl_hash_bytes!(hash_bytes_be, bytes_to_prime_field_element_be, to_bytes_be);
+    impl_hash_bytes!(
+        hash_bytes_le,
+        bytes_to_prime_field_element_le,
+        into_hash_bytes_le
+    );
+    impl_hash_bytes!(
+        hash_bytes_be,
+        bytes_to_prime_field_element_be,
+        into_hash_bytes_be
+    );
 }
 
 /// Checks whether a slice of bytes is not empty or its length does not exceed
@@ -468,7 +522,7 @@ impl<F: PrimeField> PoseidonBytesHasher for Poseidon<F> {
 /// to collisions. The purpose of this function is to prevent them by returning
 /// and error. It should be always used before converting byte slices to
 /// prime field elements.
-pub fn validate_bytes_length<F>(input: &[u8]) -> Result<&[u8], PoseidonError>
+pub fn validate_bytes_length<F>(input: &[u8]) -> Result<(), PoseidonError>
 where
     F: PrimeField,
 {
@@ -482,37 +536,58 @@ where
             modulus_bytes_len,
         });
     }
-    Ok(input)
+    Ok(())
 }
 
 macro_rules! impl_bytes_to_prime_field_element {
-    ($name:ident, $from_bytes_method:ident, $endianess:expr) => {
+    ($name:ident, $is_be:literal, $endian:expr) => {
         #[doc = "Converts a slice of "]
-        #[doc = $endianess]
+        #[doc = $endian]
         #[doc = "-endian bytes into a prime field element, \
                  represented by the [`ark_ff::PrimeField`](ark_ff::PrimeField) trait."]
         pub fn $name<F>(input: &[u8]) -> Result<F, PoseidonError>
         where
             F: PrimeField,
         {
-            let element = num_bigint::BigUint::$from_bytes_method(input);
-            let element = F::BigInt::try_from(element).map_err(|_| PoseidonError::BytesToBigInt)?;
-
-            // In theory, `F::from_bigint` should also perform a check whether input is
-            // larger than modulus (and return `None` if it is), but it's not reliable...
-            // To be sure, we check it ourselves.
-            if element >= F::MODULUS {
-                return Err(PoseidonError::InputLargerThanModulus);
+            let max_len = F::BigInt::NUM_LIMBS * 8;
+            // Trim the leading (most-significant-end) zero bytes so that inputs
+            // longer than the modulus size but representing a smaller value are
+            // still accepted.
+            let trimmed = if $is_be {
+                let start = input.iter().position(|b| *b != 0).unwrap_or(input.len());
+                &input[start..]
+            } else {
+                let end = input
+                    .iter()
+                    .rposition(|b| *b != 0)
+                    .map(|i| i + 1)
+                    .unwrap_or(0);
+                &input[..end]
+            };
+            if trimmed.len() > max_len {
+                return Err(PoseidonError::BytesToBigInt);
+            }
+
+            // Build the value in `F::BigInt` (a fixed-size stack array of limbs)
+            // directly from the bytes, most significant byte first.
+            let mut value = F::BigInt::default();
+            if $is_be {
+                for byte in trimmed.iter() {
+                    value = (value << 8) | F::BigInt::from(*byte);
+                }
+            } else {
+                for byte in trimmed.iter().rev() {
+                    value = (value << 8) | F::BigInt::from(*byte);
+                }
             }
-            let element = F::from_bigint(element).ok_or(PoseidonError::InputLargerThanModulus)?;
 
-            Ok(element)
+            F::from_bigint(value).ok_or(PoseidonError::InputLargerThanModulus)
         }
     };
 }
 
-impl_bytes_to_prime_field_element!(bytes_to_prime_field_element_le, from_bytes_le, "little");
-impl_bytes_to_prime_field_element!(bytes_to_prime_field_element_be, from_bytes_be, "big");
+impl_bytes_to_prime_field_element!(bytes_to_prime_field_element_le, false, "little");
+impl_bytes_to_prime_field_element!(bytes_to_prime_field_element_be, true, "big");
 
 impl<F: PrimeField> Poseidon<F> {
     pub fn new_circom(nr_inputs: usize) -> Result<Poseidon<Fr>, PoseidonError> {
diff --git a/light-poseidon/tests/bn254_fq_x5.rs b/light-poseidon/tests/bn254_fq_x5.rs
index b7e764c..adac60a 100644
--- a/light-poseidon/tests/bn254_fq_x5.rs
+++ b/light-poseidon/tests/bn254_fq_x5.rs
@@ -177,8 +177,7 @@ fn test_poseidon_bn254_x5_fq_validate_bytes_length() {
     }
 
     let input = vec![1u8; 32];
-    let res = validate_bytes_length::<Fr>(&input).unwrap();
-    assert_eq!(res, &input);
+    validate_bytes_length::<Fr>(&input).unwrap();
 
     for i in 33..64 {
         let input = vec![1u8; i];