diff --git a/cmd/geth/main.go b/cmd/geth/main.go
index 83847fc53..0763a9ed3 100644
--- a/cmd/geth/main.go
+++ b/cmd/geth/main.go
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ var (
 		utils.CacheDatabaseFlag,
 		utils.CacheTrieFlag,
 		utils.CacheGCFlag,
+		utils.CacheNoPrefetchFlag,
 		utils.ListenPortFlag,
 		utils.MaxPeersFlag,
 		utils.MaxPendingPeersFlag,
diff --git a/cmd/geth/usage.go b/cmd/geth/usage.go
index 8658a3fdc..f1fb22f18 100644
--- a/cmd/geth/usage.go
+++ b/cmd/geth/usage.go
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ var AppHelpFlagGroups = []flagGroup{
 			utils.CacheDatabaseFlag,
 			utils.CacheTrieFlag,
 			utils.CacheGCFlag,
+			utils.CacheNoPrefetchFlag,
 		},
 	},
 	{
diff --git a/cmd/utils/flags.go b/cmd/utils/flags.go
index bf433242e..bff301579 100644
--- a/cmd/utils/flags.go
+++ b/cmd/utils/flags.go
@@ -349,6 +349,10 @@ var (
 		Usage: "Percentage of cache memory allowance to use for trie pruning (default = 25% full mode, 0% archive mode)",
 		Value: 25,
 	}
+	CacheNoPrefetchFlag = cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:  "cache.noprefetch",
+		Usage: "Disable heuristic state prefetch during block import (less CPU and disk IO, more time waiting for data)",
+	}
 	// Miner settings
 	MiningEnabledFlag = cli.BoolFlag{
 		Name:  "mine",
@@ -1336,6 +1340,7 @@ func SetEthConfig(ctx *cli.Context, stack *node.Node, cfg *eth.Config) {
 		Fatalf("--%s must be either 'full' or 'archive'", GCModeFlag.Name)
 	}
 	cfg.NoPruning = ctx.GlobalString(GCModeFlag.Name) == "archive"
+	cfg.NoPrefetch = ctx.GlobalBool(CacheNoPrefetchFlag.Name)
 
 	if ctx.GlobalIsSet(CacheFlag.Name) || ctx.GlobalIsSet(CacheTrieFlag.Name) {
 		cfg.TrieCleanCache = ctx.GlobalInt(CacheFlag.Name) * ctx.GlobalInt(CacheTrieFlag.Name) / 100
@@ -1595,10 +1600,11 @@ func MakeChain(ctx *cli.Context, stack *node.Node) (chain *core.BlockChain, chai
 		Fatalf("--%s must be either 'full' or 'archive'", GCModeFlag.Name)
 	}
 	cache := &core.CacheConfig{
-		Disabled:       ctx.GlobalString(GCModeFlag.Name) == "archive",
-		TrieCleanLimit: eth.DefaultConfig.TrieCleanCache,
-		TrieDirtyLimit: eth.DefaultConfig.TrieDirtyCache,
-		TrieTimeLimit:  eth.DefaultConfig.TrieTimeout,
+		TrieCleanLimit:      eth.DefaultConfig.TrieCleanCache,
+		TrieCleanNoPrefetch: ctx.GlobalBool(CacheNoPrefetchFlag.Name),
+		TrieDirtyLimit:      eth.DefaultConfig.TrieDirtyCache,
+		TrieDirtyDisabled:   ctx.GlobalString(GCModeFlag.Name) == "archive",
+		TrieTimeLimit:       eth.DefaultConfig.TrieTimeout,
 	}
 	if ctx.GlobalIsSet(CacheFlag.Name) || ctx.GlobalIsSet(CacheTrieFlag.Name) {
 		cache.TrieCleanLimit = ctx.GlobalInt(CacheFlag.Name) * ctx.GlobalInt(CacheTrieFlag.Name) / 100
diff --git a/core/blockchain.go b/core/blockchain.go
index a547f6bc3..1e0b5718b 100644
--- a/core/blockchain.go
+++ b/core/blockchain.go
@@ -90,10 +90,11 @@ const (
 // CacheConfig contains the configuration values for the trie caching/pruning
 // that's resident in a blockchain.
 type CacheConfig struct {
-	Disabled       bool          // Whether to disable trie write caching (archive node)
-	TrieCleanLimit int           // Memory allowance (MB) to use for caching trie nodes in memory
-	TrieDirtyLimit int           // Memory limit (MB) at which to start flushing dirty trie nodes to disk
-	TrieTimeLimit  time.Duration // Time limit after which to flush the current in-memory trie to disk
+	TrieCleanLimit      int           // Memory allowance (MB) to use for caching trie nodes in memory
+	TrieCleanNoPrefetch bool          // Whether to disable heuristic state prefetching for followup blocks
+	TrieDirtyLimit      int           // Memory limit (MB) at which to start flushing dirty trie nodes to disk
+	TrieDirtyDisabled   bool          // Whether to disable trie write caching and GC altogether (archive node)
+	TrieTimeLimit       time.Duration // Time limit after which to flush the current in-memory trie to disk
 }
 
 // BlockChain represents the canonical chain given a database with a genesis
@@ -708,7 +709,7 @@ func (bc *BlockChain) Stop() {
 	//  - HEAD:     So we don't need to reprocess any blocks in the general case
 	//  - HEAD-1:   So we don't do large reorgs if our HEAD becomes an uncle
 	//  - HEAD-127: So we have a hard limit on the number of blocks reexecuted
-	if !bc.cacheConfig.Disabled {
+	if !bc.cacheConfig.TrieDirtyDisabled {
 		triedb := bc.stateCache.TrieDB()
 
 		for _, offset := range []uint64{0, 1, triesInMemory - 1} {
@@ -968,7 +969,7 @@ func (bc *BlockChain) writeBlockWithState(block *types.Block, receipts []*types.
 	triedb := bc.stateCache.TrieDB()
 
 	// If we're running an archive node, always flush
-	if bc.cacheConfig.Disabled {
+	if bc.cacheConfig.TrieDirtyDisabled {
 		if err := triedb.Commit(root, false); err != nil {
 			return NonStatTy, err
 		}
@@ -1232,16 +1233,18 @@ func (bc *BlockChain) insertChain(chain types.Blocks, verifySeals bool) (int, []
 		// transactions and probabilistically some of the account/storage trie nodes.
 		var followupInterrupt uint32
 
-		if followup, err := it.peek(); followup != nil && err == nil {
-			go func(start time.Time) {
-				throwaway, _ := state.New(parent.Root, bc.stateCache)
-				bc.prefetcher.Prefetch(followup, throwaway, bc.vmConfig, &followupInterrupt)
+		if !bc.cacheConfig.TrieCleanNoPrefetch {
+			if followup, err := it.peek(); followup != nil && err == nil {
+				go func(start time.Time) {
+					throwaway, _ := state.New(parent.Root, bc.stateCache)
+					bc.prefetcher.Prefetch(followup, throwaway, bc.vmConfig, &followupInterrupt)
 
-				blockPrefetchExecuteTimer.Update(time.Since(start))
-				if atomic.LoadUint32(&followupInterrupt) == 1 {
-					blockPrefetchInterruptMeter.Mark(1)
-				}
-			}(time.Now())
+					blockPrefetchExecuteTimer.Update(time.Since(start))
+					if atomic.LoadUint32(&followupInterrupt) == 1 {
+						blockPrefetchInterruptMeter.Mark(1)
+					}
+				}(time.Now())
+			}
 		}
 		// Process block using the parent state as reference point
 		substart := time.Now()
diff --git a/eth/backend.go b/eth/backend.go
index ac2f903e8..af963fa49 100644
--- a/eth/backend.go
+++ b/eth/backend.go
@@ -165,7 +165,13 @@ func New(ctx *node.ServiceContext, config *Config) (*Ethereum, error) {
 			EWASMInterpreter:        config.EWASMInterpreter,
 			EVMInterpreter:          config.EVMInterpreter,
 		}
-		cacheConfig = &core.CacheConfig{Disabled: config.NoPruning, TrieCleanLimit: config.TrieCleanCache, TrieDirtyLimit: config.TrieDirtyCache, TrieTimeLimit: config.TrieTimeout}
+		cacheConfig = &core.CacheConfig{
+			TrieCleanLimit:      config.TrieCleanCache,
+			TrieCleanNoPrefetch: config.NoPrefetch,
+			TrieDirtyLimit:      config.TrieDirtyCache,
+			TrieDirtyDisabled:   config.NoPruning,
+			TrieTimeLimit:       config.TrieTimeout,
+		}
 	)
 	eth.blockchain, err = core.NewBlockChain(chainDb, cacheConfig, chainConfig, eth.engine, vmConfig, eth.shouldPreserve)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/eth/config.go b/eth/config.go
index 1bbe326da..a98e69053 100644
--- a/eth/config.go
+++ b/eth/config.go
@@ -92,7 +92,9 @@ type Config struct {
 	// Protocol options
 	NetworkId uint64 // Network ID to use for selecting peers to connect to
 	SyncMode  downloader.SyncMode
-	NoPruning bool
+
+	NoPruning  bool // Whether to disable pruning and flush everything to disk
+	NoPrefetch bool // Whether to disable prefetching and only load state on demand
 
 	// Whitelist of required block number -> hash values to accept
 	Whitelist map[uint64]common.Hash `toml:"-"`