The supercritical fluid extraction of aroma compounds from basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) was studied. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the parameters of the process. Full factorial design was applied to evaluate the effects of two independent variables (pressure and temperature) on the extraction yield and linalool yield. From the response surface plots, pressure and temperature exhibited independent and interactive effect on the extraction yield. The optimal conditions to obtain the highest extraction yield (1.91%) of O. basilicum were the pressure of 29.7 MPa and temperature of 59.2oC, whereas the highest yield of linalool (1.998 g•kg-1) was obtained at the pressure of 20 MPa and temperature of 40oC. The experimental values agreed with the predicted ones, indicating suitability of the response surface methodology for optimizing the extraction process. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31013]