A method for producing grain-oriented electrical steel sheets includes subjecting a steel slab to hot rolling to obtain a hot rolled sheet, the steel slab having a composition consisting of, by mass % or mass ppm, C: 0.08% or less, Si: 2.0% to 4.5% and Mn: 0.5% or less, S, Se, and O: less than 50 ppm each, sol.Al: less than 100 ppm, N: 80 ppm or less, and the balance being Fe and incidental impurities, and satisfying the relation of sol.Al (ppm)−N (ppm)×(26.98/14.00)≤30 ppm; then subjecting the hot rolled sheet to annealing and rolling to obtain a cold rolled sheet; then subjecting the cold rolled sheet to nitriding treatment, under specific condition, before, during or after primary recrystallization annealing; then applying an annealing separator on the cold rolled sheet; and subjecting the cold rolled sheet to secondary recrystallization annealing.