Productivity in machining of 17-4 PH stainless steel is adversely affected by the premature failure of tool and poor surface finish as a consequence of high cutting temperatures. Conventional cutting fluids not only create environmental and health problems but also fail to overcome the high cutting temperatures during machining. Cryogenic cooling is an environmentally clean cooling technology for attractive management of machining zone temperatures. The present study investigates the effect of cryogenic liquid nitrogen (LN2 at −196°C) on cutting temperatures, cutting forces (main cutting force, feed force), surface roughness, tool flank wear and chip morphology in turning of 17-4 PH stainless steel with AlTiN PVD-coated tungsten-coated carbide inserts and results were compared to wet machining. In overall, cryogenic machining reduces the cutting temperature, cutting forces, surface roughness and tool flank wear to a maximum of 73.4, 17.62, 44.29 and 55.55%, respectively. Improved chip breakability was found in cryogenic machining. © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.