The extraction technologies of plant essential oils were briefly summarized, and the functional characteristics of plant essential oils and the different application forms of plant essential oils in the preservation of fruits and vegetables were emphatically reviewed, including the essential oils nanocrystallization, the essential oils microencapsulation, and the essential oils combining with physical technologies and so on. This review could provide a theoretical basis for the further application of plant essential oils in the preservation of fruits and vegetables in the future.