diff --git a/examples/vite-app/src/examples/Basic/index.tsx b/examples/vite-app/src/examples/Basic/index.tsx
index 37c5d010..f3f74dda 100644
--- a/examples/vite-app/src/examples/Basic/index.tsx
+++ b/examples/vite-app/src/examples/Basic/index.tsx
@@ -78,6 +78,10 @@ const BasicFlow = () => {
     );
   };
 
+  const deleteElements = () => {
+    instance.deleteSelectedElements()
+  }
+
   return (
     <ReactFlow
       defaultNodes={initialNodes}
@@ -106,7 +110,8 @@ const BasicFlow = () => {
         <button onClick={toggleClassnames} style={{ marginRight: 5 }}>
           toggle classnames
         </button>
-        <button onClick={logToObject}>toObject</button>
+        <button onClick={logToObject} style={{ marginRight: 5 }}>toObject</button>
+        <button onClick={deleteElements}>delete selected elements</button>
       </div>
     </ReactFlow>
   );
diff --git a/packages/core/src/hooks/useGlobalKeyHandler.ts b/packages/core/src/hooks/useGlobalKeyHandler.ts
index 151c9786..3d563941 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/hooks/useGlobalKeyHandler.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/hooks/useGlobalKeyHandler.ts
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ import { useEffect } from 'react';
 
 import { useStoreApi } from '../hooks/useStore';
 import useKeyPress from './useKeyPress';
-import { getConnectedEdges } from '../utils/graph';
-import { KeyCode, NodeChange, Node } from '../types';
+import { KeyCode } from '../types';
+import useReactFlow from './useReactFlow';
 
 interface HookParams {
   deleteKeyCode: KeyCode | null;
@@ -12,88 +12,14 @@ interface HookParams {
 
 export default ({ deleteKeyCode, multiSelectionKeyCode }: HookParams): void => {
   const store = useStoreApi();
+  const { deleteSelectedElements } = useReactFlow();
+
   const deleteKeyPressed = useKeyPress(deleteKeyCode);
   const multiSelectionKeyPressed = useKeyPress(multiSelectionKeyCode);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (!deleteKeyPressed) {
-      return;
-    }
-
-    const {
-      nodeInternals,
-      edges,
-      hasDefaultNodes,
-      hasDefaultEdges,
-      onNodesDelete,
-      onEdgesDelete,
-      onNodesChange,
-      onEdgesChange,
-    } = store.getState();
-    const nodes = Array.from(nodeInternals.values());
-    const nodesToRemove = nodes.reduce<Node[]>((res, node) => {
-      const parentSelected = !node.selected && node.parentNode && res.find((n) => n.id === node.parentNode);
-      const deletable = typeof node.deletable === 'boolean' ? node.deletable : true;
-      if (deletable && (node.selected || parentSelected)) {
-        res.push(node);
-      }
-
-      return res;
-    }, []);
-    const deletableEdges = edges.filter((e) => (typeof e.deletable === 'boolean' ? e.deletable : true));
-    const selectedEdges = deletableEdges.filter((e) => e.selected);
-
-    if (nodesToRemove || selectedEdges) {
-      const connectedEdges = getConnectedEdges(nodesToRemove, deletableEdges);
-      const edgesToRemove = [...selectedEdges, ...connectedEdges];
-      const edgeIdsToRemove = edgesToRemove.reduce<string[]>((res, edge) => {
-        if (!res.includes(edge.id)) {
-          res.push(edge.id);
-        }
-        return res;
-      }, []);
-
-      if (hasDefaultEdges || hasDefaultNodes) {
-        if (hasDefaultEdges) {
-          store.setState({
-            edges: edges.filter((e) => !edgeIdsToRemove.includes(e.id)),
-          });
-        }
-
-        if (hasDefaultNodes) {
-          nodesToRemove.forEach((node) => {
-            nodeInternals.delete(node.id);
-          });
-
-          store.setState({
-            nodeInternals: new Map(nodeInternals),
-          });
-        }
-      }
-
-      if (edgeIdsToRemove.length > 0) {
-        onEdgesDelete?.(edgesToRemove);
-
-        if (onEdgesChange) {
-          onEdgesChange(
-            edgeIdsToRemove.map((id) => ({
-              id,
-              type: 'remove',
-            }))
-          );
-        }
-      }
-
-      if (nodesToRemove.length > 0) {
-        onNodesDelete?.(nodesToRemove);
-
-        if (onNodesChange) {
-          const nodeChanges: NodeChange[] = nodesToRemove.map((n) => ({ id: n.id, type: 'remove' }));
-          onNodesChange(nodeChanges);
-        }
-      }
-
-      store.setState({ nodesSelectionActive: false });
+    if (deleteKeyPressed) {
+      deleteSelectedElements();
     }
   }, [deleteKeyPressed]);
 
diff --git a/packages/core/src/hooks/useReactFlow.ts b/packages/core/src/hooks/useReactFlow.ts
index ba826ddf..76043a2e 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/hooks/useReactFlow.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/hooks/useReactFlow.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,10 @@ import {
   EdgeResetChange,
   NodeRemoveChange,
   EdgeRemoveChange,
+  NodeChange,
+  Node,
 } from '../types';
+import { getConnectedEdges } from '../utils/graph';
 
 /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any */
 export default function useReactFlow<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any>(): ReactFlowInstance<NodeData, EdgeData> {
@@ -111,6 +114,84 @@ export default function useReactFlow<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any>(): ReactFlo
     };
   }, []);
 
+  const deleteSelectedElements = useCallback<Instance.DeleteSelectedElements>(() => {
+    const {
+      nodeInternals,
+      edges,
+      hasDefaultNodes,
+      hasDefaultEdges,
+      onNodesDelete,
+      onEdgesDelete,
+      onNodesChange,
+      onEdgesChange,
+    } = store.getState();
+    const nodes = Array.from(nodeInternals.values());
+    const nodesToRemove = nodes.reduce<Node[]>((res, node) => {
+      const parentSelected = !node.selected && node.parentNode && res.find((n) => n.id === node.parentNode);
+      const deletable = typeof node.deletable === 'boolean' ? node.deletable : true;
+      if (deletable && (node.selected || parentSelected)) {
+        res.push(node);
+      }
+
+      return res;
+    }, []);
+    const deletableEdges = edges.filter((e) => (typeof e.deletable === 'boolean' ? e.deletable : true));
+    const selectedEdges = deletableEdges.filter((e) => e.selected);
+
+    if (nodesToRemove || selectedEdges) {
+      const connectedEdges = getConnectedEdges(nodesToRemove, deletableEdges);
+      const edgesToRemove = [...selectedEdges, ...connectedEdges];
+      const edgeIdsToRemove = edgesToRemove.reduce<string[]>((res, edge) => {
+        if (!res.includes(edge.id)) {
+          res.push(edge.id);
+        }
+        return res;
+      }, []);
+
+      if (hasDefaultEdges || hasDefaultNodes) {
+        if (hasDefaultEdges) {
+          store.setState({
+            edges: edges.filter((e) => !edgeIdsToRemove.includes(e.id)),
+          });
+        }
+
+        if (hasDefaultNodes) {
+          nodesToRemove.forEach((node) => {
+            nodeInternals.delete(node.id);
+          });
+
+          store.setState({
+            nodeInternals: new Map(nodeInternals),
+          });
+        }
+      }
+
+      if (edgeIdsToRemove.length > 0) {
+        onEdgesDelete?.(edgesToRemove);
+
+        if (onEdgesChange) {
+          onEdgesChange(
+            edgeIdsToRemove.map((id) => ({
+              id,
+              type: 'remove',
+            }))
+          );
+        }
+      }
+
+      if (nodesToRemove.length > 0) {
+        onNodesDelete?.(nodesToRemove);
+
+        if (onNodesChange) {
+          const nodeChanges: NodeChange[] = nodesToRemove.map((n) => ({ id: n.id, type: 'remove' }));
+          onNodesChange(nodeChanges);
+        }
+      }
+
+      store.setState({ nodesSelectionActive: false });
+    }
+  }, []);
+
   return useMemo(() => {
     return {
       ...viewportHelper,
@@ -123,6 +204,19 @@ export default function useReactFlow<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any>(): ReactFlo
       addNodes,
       addEdges,
       toObject,
+      deleteSelectedElements,
     };
-  }, [viewportHelper, getNodes, getNode, getEdges, getEdge, setNodes, setEdges, addNodes, addEdges, toObject]);
+  }, [
+    viewportHelper,
+    getNodes,
+    getNode,
+    getEdges,
+    getEdge,
+    setNodes,
+    setEdges,
+    addNodes,
+    addEdges,
+    toObject,
+    deleteSelectedElements,
+  ]);
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/types/instance.ts b/packages/core/src/types/instance.ts
index f5fe2848..058da326 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/types/instance.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/types/instance.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export namespace Instance {
   export type GetEdge<EdgeData> = (id: string) => Edge<EdgeData> | undefined;
   export type AddEdges<EdgeData> = (payload: Edge<EdgeData>[] | Edge<EdgeData>) => void;
   export type ToObject<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any> = () => ReactFlowJsonObject<NodeData, EdgeData>;
+  export type DeleteSelectedElements = () => void;
 }
 
 export type ReactFlowInstance<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any> = {
@@ -36,5 +37,6 @@ export type ReactFlowInstance<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any> = {
   addEdges: Instance.AddEdges<EdgeData>;
   getEdge: Instance.GetEdge<EdgeData>;
   toObject: Instance.ToObject<NodeData, EdgeData>;
+  deleteSelectedElements: Instance.DeleteSelectedElements;
   viewportInitialized: boolean;
 } & Omit<ViewportHelperFunctions, 'initialized'>;