How to Avoid Acrylamide in Your Diet: A Guide to Smarter Cooking

October 4, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the Food Standards Agency, high-temperature cooking processes like frying and roasting naturally produce acrylamide in starchy foods like potatoes and bread. This chemical has been identified as a potential health concern, prompting many to ask: how to avoid acrylamide in their daily meals. This guide explores practical and simple changes to your cooking methods to help you reduce your dietary exposure to this substance.

Quick Summary

Acrylamide is a byproduct of cooking starchy foods at high temperatures, and can be mitigated by adjusting preparation methods. Simple techniques like controlling temperature, reducing cooking time, and adopting alternative cooking methods can significantly lower its formation. Following key dietary and storage advice also helps minimize exposure to this chemical.

Key Points

Go for a lighter color: When toasting, frying, or roasting starchy foods, aim for a golden yellow rather than a dark brown shade to reduce acrylamide levels.
Control cooking temperature: Lower temperatures and shorter cooking times produce less acrylamide; avoid overcooking.
Choose steaming or boiling: These methods do not generate acrylamide because they do not reach the high temperatures required for its formation.
Pre-soak raw potatoes: Soaking raw potato slices in water for 15–30 minutes helps remove sugars and can reduce acrylamide levels during high-heat cooking.
Store potatoes properly: Keep potatoes in a cool, dark pantry, as refrigeration can increase sugar content and promote acrylamide formation during cooking.
Limit high-heat foods: Reduce consumption of foods known to contain higher levels of acrylamide, such as fries, chips, and heavily toasted bread.
Adopt a varied diet: Focus on a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, which can help limit your exposure to acrylamide-containing foods.

Understanding Acrylamide: The Maillard Reaction

Acrylamide is a chemical compound formed during the Maillard reaction, the browning process that gives certain cooked foods their distinct flavor and color. This reaction occurs between specific amino acids, primarily asparagine, and sugars when heated to temperatures above 120°C (248°F). The highest levels are typically found in carbohydrate-rich foods that have been fried, baked, or roasted, such as potatoes, cereals, and coffee.

While studies in animals suggest a potential link to cancer at very high doses, the risk to humans from normal dietary levels is not fully understood. However, health organizations like the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommend reducing dietary exposure as a precautionary measure. By making simple adjustments in the kitchen, you can significantly lower your intake.

Practical Ways to Avoid Acrylamide at Home

Reducing acrylamide is primarily about smarter cooking techniques. Here are some actionable steps you can take:

Go for a Lighter Color: When frying, baking, or toasting starchy foods like toast, fries, and roasted potatoes, aim for a golden yellow color rather than a dark brown or burnt appearance. The darker the food, the more acrylamide it likely contains.
Control Time and Temperature: Acrylamide formation increases with higher temperatures and longer cooking times. Use lower heat settings and cook for shorter durations when possible. For deep-frying, keep oil temperatures below 175°C (338°F).
Opt for Alternative Cooking Methods: Boiling, steaming, and microwaving do not produce acrylamide, as they do not involve the high temperatures required for the Maillard reaction to occur. Incorporating these methods more frequently can significantly reduce your exposure.
Pre-soak Potatoes: Soaking raw potato slices in water for 15–30 minutes before frying or roasting can help wash away some of the sugars that contribute to acrylamide formation. Be sure to pat the potatoes dry before cooking to prevent splattering.
Store Potatoes Properly: Avoid storing potatoes in the refrigerator, as cold temperatures can increase sugar levels and promote acrylamide formation during cooking. Store them in a cool, dark pantry instead.
Vary Your Diet: A varied diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is a core recommendation from health agencies. Limiting the intake of high-temperature-cooked starchy foods is a prudent approach to reduce overall exposure.

A Comparative Look at Cooking Methods

To illustrate how different methods affect acrylamide levels, consider this comparison table. This demonstrates how some simple changes can make a big difference in your diet.


Cooking Method	Acrylamide Formation	Why it Matters
Boiling & Steaming	Negligible	Temperatures are too low for the Maillard reaction to occur.
Microwaving	Low	Often involves lower temperatures and shorter cooking times than baking or frying.
Roasting (Controlled)	Moderate	Lower temperatures and shorter times, aiming for a golden color, reduce formation.
Baking (Controlled)	Moderate	As with roasting, managing temperature and avoiding dark browning is key.
Frying (Deep/Pan)	High	Intense, high temperatures and direct contact with oil accelerate the Maillard reaction.
Toasting (Over-browned)	High	Extreme browning on bread crusts creates high concentrations of acrylamide.

Acrylamide in Your Daily Food Choices

While high-temperature cooking is the primary culprit, certain foods naturally contain higher levels of the precursors (asparagine and reducing sugars) that lead to acrylamide formation.

Foods to Monitor

Potato Products: French fries and potato chips are significant sources due to high asparagine content and high-heat cooking.
Cereal-Based Products: Toast, crackers, and biscuits can have varying levels depending on cooking time and temperature.
Coffee: The roasting of coffee beans causes acrylamide to form. While its contribution to overall intake might be lower than potato products, it is a daily source for many.
Baked Goods: Cookies and some breads, especially the crust, contain acrylamide due to high-heat baking.

Alternatives and Mitigation

To reduce intake from these common foods, consider these strategies:

For potatoes: Instead of frying or roasting, try boiling or microwaving potatoes. If baking, aim for a lighter, golden color.
For bread: Toast bread to a lighter shade rather than dark brown. Consume the crust in moderation or opt for softer bread varieties.
For coffee: While acrylamide forms during the roasting process and is unavoidable, you can minimize intake by not overconsuming.
For baked goods: Consider using alternative flours, like rice flour, which has lower asparagine content and may reduce acrylamide formation in some recipes.

Conclusion: A Balanced Perspective

While the science around acrylamide and its health risks is complex and evolving, taking proactive steps to minimize exposure through smarter food preparation is a wise and straightforward approach to improve your diet. It doesn't mean eliminating your favorite foods entirely, but rather modifying cooking techniques and aiming for a varied diet. By controlling cooking times and temperatures, and choosing boiling or steaming over excessive frying and roasting, you can make a significant difference. Remember the simple rule: "Go for Gold"—not burnt. This mindful approach allows you to enjoy a wider range of foods while minimizing potential risks associated with acrylamide formation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Acrylamide is a chemical compound that forms naturally in starchy plant-based foods during high-temperature cooking processes like frying, roasting, and baking. It is a byproduct of the Maillard reaction, the chemical process that gives cooked foods their brown color and flavor.

The highest levels of acrylamide are typically found in fried and roasted potato products like French fries and potato chips. It is also found in significant amounts in cereal-based products like cookies, crackers, toasted bread, and roasted coffee.

It is not recommended to store raw potatoes in the refrigerator, especially if you plan to cook them at high temperatures. Cold temperatures can increase the amount of reducing sugars in the potatoes, which can then lead to higher acrylamide levels during cooking.

No, acrylamide only forms during high-temperature cooking methods, typically above 120°C (248°F). Cooking methods that involve water, such as boiling, steaming, and microwaving, do not produce acrylamide.

To reduce acrylamide when making fries at home, soak the raw potato slices in water for 15–30 minutes before cooking to remove excess sugars. Also, aim for a golden yellow color instead of a dark brown, and keep the oil temperature below 175°C (338°F).

While high doses of acrylamide have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals, studies in humans have not yet provided conclusive evidence of a link between dietary acrylamide and cancer risk. However, health experts still recommend reducing dietary exposure as a precautionary measure.

The 'Go for Gold' recommendation suggests cooking starchy foods like potatoes, bread, and pastries to a golden yellow or lighter color. This minimizes the formation of acrylamide, which is present in higher concentrations in darker, heavily browned, or burnt areas.