diff --git a/clash-lib/src/Clash/Driver.hs b/clash-lib/src/Clash/Driver.hs
index 6bf14d7848..023669b38e 100644
--- a/clash-lib/src/Clash/Driver.hs
+++ b/clash-lib/src/Clash/Driver.hs
@@ -120,8 +120,9 @@ import qualified Clash.Netlist.Id                 as Id
 import           Clash.Netlist.Types
   (IdentifierText, BlackBox (..), Component (..), FilteredHWType, HWMap, SomeBackend (..),
    TopEntityT(..), TemplateFunction, ComponentMap, findClocks, ComponentMeta(..))
-import           Clash.Normalize                  (checkNonRecursive, cleanupGraph,
-                                                   normalize, runNormalization)
+import           Clash.Normalize                  (checkANF, checkNonRecursive,
+                                                   cleanupGraph, normalize,
+                                                   runNormalization)
 import           Clash.Normalize.Util             (callGraph, tvSubstWithTyEq)
 import qualified Clash.Primitives.Sized.Signed    as P
 import qualified Clash.Primitives.Sized.ToInteger as P
@@ -1015,9 +1016,11 @@ normalizeEntity
 normalizeEntity env bindingsMap typeTrans peEval eval topEntities supply tm = transformedBindings
   where
     doNorm = do norm <- normalize [tm]
-                let normChecked = checkNonRecursive norm
-                cleaned <- cleanupGraph tm normChecked
-                return cleaned
+                let normChecked  = checkNonRecursive norm
+                    anfChecked   = checkANF normChecked
+                cleaned <- cleanupGraph tm anfChecked
+                let cleanedANF   = checkANF cleaned
+                return cleanedANF
     transformedBindings = runNormalization env supply bindingsMap
                             typeTrans peEval eval emptyVarEnv
                             topEntities doNorm
diff --git a/clash-lib/src/Clash/Normalize.hs b/clash-lib/src/Clash/Normalize.hs
index a8ef45bb40..42815edabd 100644
--- a/clash-lib/src/Clash/Normalize.hs
+++ b/clash-lib/src/Clash/Normalize.hs
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ import           Clash.Core.Pretty                (PrettyOptions(..), showPpr, s
 import           Clash.Core.Subst
   (extendGblSubstList, mkSubst, substTm)
 import           Clash.Core.Term                  (Term (..), collectArgsTicks
-                                                  ,mkApps, mkTicks)
+                                                  ,collectBndrs, collectTicks
+                                                  ,mkApps, mkTicks, stripTicks)
 import           Clash.Core.Type                  (Type, splitCoreFunForallTy)
 import           Clash.Core.TyCon (TyConMap)
 import           Clash.Core.Type                  (isPolyTy)
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ import           Clash.Core.VarEnv
    mkVarEnv, mkVarSet, notElemVarEnv, notElemVarSet, nullVarEnv, unionVarEnv)
 import           Clash.Debug                      (traceIf)
 import           Clash.Driver.Types
-  (BindingMap, Binding(..), DebugOpts(..), ClashEnv(..))
+  (BindingMap, Binding(..), DebugOpts(..), ClashEnv(..), IsPrim(..))
 import           Clash.Netlist.Types
   (HWMap, FilteredHWType(..))
 import           Clash.Netlist.Util
@@ -248,6 +249,94 @@ checkNonRecursive norm = case mapMaybeVarEnv go norm of
   go (Binding nm _ _ _ tm r) =
     if r then Just (nm,tm) else Nothing
 
+-- | Check whether the normalized bindings are in, what Clash calls, ANF.
+-- Specifically, for each non-primitive binding, after stripping outer lambdas
+-- and ticks, checks that:
+--
+--   1. The outermost expression is a 'Letrec'
+--   2. The body of the 'Letrec' is a plain 'Var'
+--   3. No RHS of a 'Letrec' binding is itself introduces variables through 'Let',
+--      'Lam', or 'TyLam'. This is must hold for any subterm.
+--
+-- Typically, ANF would also make sure all arguments of application are variable
+-- references. This isn't checked for two reasons:
+--
+--   1. Primitives like to inspect their arguments for certain values
+--   2. Field projections shouldn't create a bunch of indirections
+--
+-- Note: we currently don't check any arguments to primitives. These arguments
+-- can introduce binders through lambdas (e.g., in case of a HO-function) and
+-- should themselves be in ANF.
+checkANF
+  :: BindingMap
+  -- ^ Normalized binders to check
+  -> BindingMap
+checkANF norm = foldr check norm (eltsVarEnv norm)
+ where
+  check (Binding _nm _ _ IsPrim _tm _) acc = acc
+  check (Binding nm _ _ IsFun tm _) acc =
+    case body1 of
+      Letrec xes result ->
+        case stripTicks result of
+          Var _ ->
+            let
+              badRhss =
+                [ showPpr (varName bid) ++ " = " ++ showPpr' opts be
+                | (bid, be) <- xes
+                , hasNestedBinder be
+                ]
+            in
+              case badRhss of
+                [] -> acc
+                bs -> error [i|
+                  Binding '#{showPpr (varName nm)}' has non-ANF RHS(es) after normalization:
+
+                  #{unlines bs}
+                |]
+          other ->
+            error $ [i|
+              Binding '#{showPpr (varName nm)}': letrec body is not a simple Var after
+              normalization:
+
+              #{showPpr other}
+            |]
+      other ->
+        error $ $(curLoc) ++ [i|
+          Binding '#{showPpr (varName nm)}': top-level expression is not a Letrec after
+          normalization:
+
+          #{showPpr other}
+        |]
+   where
+    (_, body0)  = collectBndrs tm
+    (body1, _)  = collectTicks body0
+
+  -- | Recursively check whether a term contains a binder ('Let', 'Lam', or
+  -- 'TyLam') anywhere in its sub-terms. Arguments to primitives are not
+  -- checked, as they may legitimately contain lambdas (e.g. higher-order
+  -- primitives).
+  hasNestedBinder :: Term -> Bool
+  hasNestedBinder e = case stripTicks e of
+    Let   {}          -> True
+    Lam   {}          -> True
+    TyLam {}          -> True
+    App {} ->
+      let (hd, args, _) = collectArgsTicks e
+      in case hd of
+        Prim {} -> False
+        _       -> hasNestedBinder hd || any (either hasNestedBinder (const False)) args
+    TyApp f _         -> hasNestedBinder f
+    Case subj _ alts  -> hasNestedBinder subj || any (hasNestedBinder . snd) alts
+    Cast f _ _        -> hasNestedBinder f
+    Var {}            -> False
+    Data {}           -> False
+    Literal {}        -> False
+    Prim {}           -> False
+    Tick {}           -> False
+
+  opts = PrettyOptions { displayUniques = False, displayTypes = True
+                       , displayQualifiers = False, displayTicks = False }
+
 -- | Perform general \"clean up\" of the normalized (non-recursive) function
 -- hierarchy. This includes:
 --