Nanostructured NiO/C composite for lithium-ion battery anode was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method and subsequent calcination. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) showed that the composite was composed of carbon and nanocrystalline NiO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed a dense and uniform distribution of fine NiO particles, with particle sizes ranging from 7-20 nm, within the carbon matrix. The electrochemical results showed that NiO/C nanocomposite could achieve 792.0 mAh/g reversible capacity and 75.5% initial coulombic efficiency, and 58.1% capacity retention after 40 cycles at a current density of 60 mA/g in the voltage range of 0.01-3.0 V.