Abstract: To determine the optimal supercritical extraction conditions for nicotine reduction and aroma retention in tobacco leaves, the upper leaves of burley tobacco were used as the raw material to study the interactions of extraction temperature, extraction time, and extraction pressure on nicotine mass fraction through single-factor experiments. An orthogonal experiment was conducted to investigate the variation trends of nicotine and major aroma component contents, and the optimal conditions of supercritical extraction were determined. The results showed that: 1) The optimal extraction conditions for nicotine reduction and aroma retention in tobacco leaves were 50 ℃ extraction temperature, 3 h extraction time, and 22 MPa extraction pressure. Under these conditions, the total content of major aroma components decreased by 19.75%, the mass fraction of nicotine decreased by 46.18%, and the ratio of the total content of major aroma components to the mass fraction of nicotine was the highest. 2) Extraction temperature and extraction time had significant effects (P < 0.05) on the nicotine mass fraction and total content of major aroma components. The decrease in nicotine mass fraction after extraction ranged from 35.94% to 50.87%, and the decrease in total content of major aroma components ranged from 14.48% to 34.72%. 3) Extraction temperature and extraction pressure significantly affected non-enzymatic browning reaction products and cembranoid degradation products, while extraction time had a significant effect on phenylalanine degradation product content. Extraction temperature and extraction time also significantly affected the carotenoid degradation product content. Therefore, supercritical extraction is an effective method for selective control of nicotine and major aroma components in burley tobacco.