A novel ordered mesoporous carbon hybrid composite, CoO/CMK-3, is prepared by an infusing method using Co(NO3)2·6H2O as the cobalt source. The products are characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and N2 adsorption–desorption analysis techniques. It is observed that the CoO nanoparticles are loaded in the channels of mesoporous carbon. The mesopore structure of CMK-3 is destroyed gradually with increasing of the CoO content. The electrochemical properties of samples as the anode materials for lithium-ion batteries are studied by galvanostatic method. The results show that the CoO/CMK-3 composites have higher reversible capacities (more than 700mAhg−1) and better cycle performance in comparison with the pure mesoporous carbon (CMK-3). Based on the above results, a mechanism is proposed to explain the reason of such a substantial improvement of electrochemical performance in the CoO/CMK-3 composites.