A single-phase aluminium alloy (Al–0.1%Mg) and alloys containing large (⩾1 μm) second-phase particles (AA1200 and AA8006), which were deformed by cold rolling have been found to undergo either discontinuous or continuous recrystallization on subsequent annealing. It is found that continuous recrystallization occurs in samples in which a critical fraction of high angle boundaries are formed on deformation, and this is shown to be in agreement with a theory of microstructural stability. Continuous recrystallization is found to be promoted by a small initial grain size, large second-phase particles, and large strains. The mechanism of continuous recrystallization is thought to involve the collapse and subsequent coarsening of the lamellar grain structures produced on rolling to large strains.