Abstract: Among the edible oil purifying technologies, the adsorption process is the most effective method for reducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) because of its high efficiency, low production cost and actual production operability. The paper provides an overview of PAHs in edible oil, focusing on the adsorption mechanism, effect factors and types of adsorbents, etc. The research progress and development trend of adsorption technology in the field of PAHs removal from edible oils were reviewed; the advantages and disadvantages of several common adsorbents were compared; meanwhile, the development of the adsorption method for PAHs removal was prospected, which gave some research ideas for the development of more efficient adsorbents. The adsorption to remove PAHs can cause severe loss of neutral oil, trace nutrients and oil flavor. In the future, new special adsorbents or surface modifications of existing adsorbents can be developed in conjunction with the adsorption mechanism to obtain higher-quality edible oils.