Although nitrite is a carcinogenic material, it is widely used in food preservation. Accordingly, suitable electroanalytical tools are necessary to estimate nitrite ions concentration. In this work, core-shell structured Cu@Pt nanoparticles supported on graphene [Cu@Pt/Gr] were developed in simple two-step route through ethylene glycol as a reducing agent. The fabricated nanomaterial was characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical techniques. Gathering graphene with copper and platinum in special architecture efficiently enhanced its electrocatalytic performance during nitrite determination. The prepared nanocomposite linearly responded to nitrite ions in the concentration ranges of 1 mu M-1 mM and 1-15 mM with respective sensitivity values of 21.03 and 62.69 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2). Cu@Pt/Gr possessed high selectivity for nitrite in presence of many common interfering species. Satisfactory results were obtained when this fabricated nanocomposite was applied to estimate nitrite concentration in real water samples. This synthesized nanocomposite presents a good active component for efficient determination of carcinogens in food industry.