Liquid-liquid equilibrium (LLE) data for {water + 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) + 1-pentanol/1-hexanol/1-heptanol} ternary systems was measured at 298.15 K and 0.1 MPa. The solute selectivity and the capacity of alcohols were evaluated and the results showed that 1-pentanol has better performance than 1-hexanol and 1-heptanol for HMF recovery from aqueous solutions. The NRTL and UNIQUAC models were used to correlate the liquid-liquid experimental values and the binary interaction parameters obtained were thermodynamically consistent. The root-mean-square deviations (RMSD) between the experimental data measured and the calculated by the NRTL and UNIQUAC models were less than 0.69% for all systems. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd.