In order to prolong the shelf life of kumquat, kumquat fruits were treated with coating preservation of litsea cubeba essential oil and chitosan, then stored at room temperature conditions, the changes of weight-loss rate, soluble solids, titratable acid, vitamin C(V_C), total sugar, sensory index in fruits during storage were investigated. The results showed that the composite coating of Litsea cubeba essential oil and chitosan inhibited the weight-loss of the kumquat, soluble solids, titratable acid, V_C, total sugar and sensory of the treated group were better than the control group. The weight-loss rate, soluble solids, and V_C were all significantly different. At the 30th day, the weight-loss rate of the treated and control groups were 5.92% and 8.35%, the soluble solids were 10.31% and 8.67%, the V_C were 15.77 mg/100 g and 8.32 mg/100 g, respectively. The composite coating of Litsea cubeba essential oil and chitosan reduced the consumption of nutrients, effectively retarded the aging of kumquat and provided a theoretical basis for its application in fresh food preservation.