Abstract This study focuses on the fast charging of lithium-ion cells with porous graphite electrodes while avoiding lithium plating. We demonstrate that by using a linearized version of the model equations, an optimization problem can be formulated, which bounds the maximum current density and ensures that the open-circuit potential at the graphite surface remains above a critical threshold. Based on these insights, we propose a new charging strategy evaluated using the full cell model, which initiates charging at the maximum allowable constant current (CC) before transitioning to a constant value for the open-circuit potential (CU) at the electrode-electrolyte interface. This CC-CU method is compared to various pulse charging protocols, the results of which are consistent with the proposed strategy providing a good estimate for the optimal charge rate for common use conditions.