diff --git a/python/ray/data/_internal/table_block.py b/python/ray/data/_internal/table_block.py
index 809137f25fda..0971ecea6e1a 100644
--- a/python/ray/data/_internal/table_block.py
+++ b/python/ray/data/_internal/table_block.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import collections
-from typing import Dict, Iterator, List, Union, Any, TypeVar, TYPE_CHECKING
+from typing import Dict, Iterator, List, Union, Any, TypeVar, Mapping, TYPE_CHECKING
 
 import numpy as np
 
@@ -180,7 +180,8 @@ def is_tensor_wrapper(self) -> bool:
             return False
         return _is_tensor_schema(self.column_names())
 
-    def iter_rows(self) -> Iterator[Union[TableRow, np.ndarray]]:
+    def iter_rows(self) -> Iterator[Union[Mapping, np.ndarray]]:
+        ctx = ray.data.DataContext.get_current()
         outer = self
 
         class Iter:
@@ -193,7 +194,11 @@ def __iter__(self):
             def __next__(self):
                 self._cur += 1
                 if self._cur < outer.num_rows():
-                    return outer._get_row(self._cur)
+                    row = outer._get_row(self._cur)
+                    if ctx.strict_mode and isinstance(row, TableRow):
+                        return row.as_pydict()
+                    else:
+                        return row
                 raise StopIteration
 
         return Iter()
diff --git a/python/ray/data/datastream.py b/python/ray/data/datastream.py
index f01ca22c0d0a..3240b29e3f1a 100644
--- a/python/ray/data/datastream.py
+++ b/python/ray/data/datastream.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
     Optional,
     Tuple,
     Union,
+    Mapping,
 )
 from uuid import uuid4
 
@@ -128,7 +129,6 @@
     _wrap_arrow_serialization_workaround,
 )
 from ray.data.random_access_dataset import RandomAccessDataset
-from ray.data.row import TableRow
 from ray.types import ObjectRef
 from ray.util.annotations import DeveloperAPI, PublicAPI, Deprecated
 from ray.util.scheduling_strategies import NodeAffinitySchedulingStrategy
@@ -3027,12 +3027,12 @@ def iterator(self) -> DataIterator:
         return DataIteratorImpl(self)
 
     @ConsumptionAPI
-    def iter_rows(self, *, prefetch_blocks: int = 0) -> Iterator[Union[T, TableRow]]:
+    def iter_rows(self, *, prefetch_blocks: int = 0) -> Iterator[Union[T, Mapping]]:
         """Return a local row iterator over the datastream.
 
-        If the datastream is a tabular datastream (Arrow/Pandas blocks), dict-like
-        mappings :py:class:`~ray.data.row.TableRow` are yielded for each row by the
-        iterator.  If the datastream is not tabular, the raw row is yielded.
+        If the datastream is a tabular datastream (Arrow/Pandas blocks), dicts
+        are yielded for each row by the iterator. If the datastream is not tabular,
+        the raw row is yielded.
 
         Examples:
             >>> import ray
@@ -4488,7 +4488,7 @@ def _build_multicolumn_aggs(
             on = [on]
         return [agg_cls(on_, *args, ignore_nulls=ignore_nulls, **kwargs) for on_ in on]
 
-    def _aggregate_result(self, result: Union[Tuple, TableRow]) -> U:
+    def _aggregate_result(self, result: Union[Tuple, Mapping]) -> U:
         if result is not None and len(result) == 1:
             if isinstance(result, tuple):
                 return result[0]
diff --git a/python/ray/data/iterator.py b/python/ray/data/iterator.py
index f7841673cf03..4957512da212 100644
--- a/python/ray/data/iterator.py
+++ b/python/ray/data/iterator.py
@@ -11,12 +11,12 @@
     Tuple,
     Union,
     Iterator,
+    Mapping,
 )
 
 from ray.types import ObjectRef
 from ray.data.block import BlockAccessor, Block, BlockMetadata, DataBatch, T
 from ray.data.context import DataContext
-from ray.data.row import TableRow
 from ray.util.annotations import PublicAPI
 from ray.data._internal.block_batching import batch_block_refs
 from ray.data._internal.block_batching.iter_batches import iter_batches
@@ -200,12 +200,12 @@ def drop_metadata(block_iterator):
         if stats:
             stats.iter_total_s.add(time.perf_counter() - time_start)
 
-    def iter_rows(self, *, prefetch_blocks: int = 0) -> Iterator[Union[T, TableRow]]:
+    def iter_rows(self, *, prefetch_blocks: int = 0) -> Iterator[Union[T, Mapping]]:
         """Return a local row iterator over the datastream.
 
-        If the datastream is a tabular datastream (Arrow/Pandas blocks), dict-like
-        mappings :py:class:`~ray.data.row.TableRow` are yielded for each row by the
-        iterator. If the datastream is not tabular, the raw row is yielded.
+        If the datastream is a tabular datastream (Arrow/Pandas blocks), dicts
+        are yielded for each row by the iterator. If the datastream is not tabular,
+        the raw row is yielded.
 
         Examples:
             >>> import ray
diff --git a/python/ray/data/tests/test_strict_mode.py b/python/ray/data/tests/test_strict_mode.py
index 5d7920e41b01..100097c91f6b 100644
--- a/python/ray/data/tests/test_strict_mode.py
+++ b/python/ray/data/tests/test_strict_mode.py
@@ -182,6 +182,17 @@ def test_strict_schema(ray_start_regular_shared):
     assert isinstance(schema.base_schema, PandasBlockSchema)
 
 
+def test_use_raw_dicts(ray_start_regular_shared):
+    assert type(ray.data.range(10).take(1)[0]) is dict
+    assert type(ray.data.from_items([1]).take(1)[0]) is dict
+
+    def checker(x):
+        assert type(x) is dict
+        return x
+
+    ray.data.range(10).map(checker).show()
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     import sys