Fresh orange peel extract was used as a reducing agent and a stabilizer to synthesize rGO loaded with Ag nanoparticles (rGO-Ag), which can be used as an antibacterial nano-filler to fabricate antibacterial food packaging materials. The effects of reaction time, temperature and AgNO₃ concentration on the reaction rate, average particle size and dispersion stability of rGO-Ag were investigated by single factor experiments. The orthogonal experiment was conducted to optimize the reaction conditions using the average particle size of rGO-Ag as an indicator. Results revealed that extending the reaction time, increasing reaction temperature and AgNO₃ concentration improved the reaction rate and reduced the average particle size of rGO-Ag. However, these factors had little effect on the stability of rGO-Ag dispersions. The effects of these factors on the average particle size of rGO-Ag from large to small was as follows: reaction temperature>reaction time>AgNO₃ concentration. The optimum conditions for rGO-Ag synthesis were: reaction time 4 h, reaction temperature 100 ℃, and AgNO₃ concentration 25 mmol/L. TEM, Raman and FTIR results revealed that AgNPs with an average particle size of 21 nm were successfully loaded onto rGO sheets.