In this work, highly porous Sn–C (HPSC) composite was synthesized by a simple carbothermal reduction method followed by a subsequent removal of template. The crystalline structure and morphology of the as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the HPSC composite, sphere-like tin particles with a wide size distribution (100–300nm) were dispersed in porous carbon matrix and the Sn/C weight ratio is about 50/45. The electrochemical properties of the HPSC composite as an advanced anode material for high performance lithium-ion batteries were investigated by the galvanostatic method and cyclic voltammetry. The HPSC composite delivers a high specific capacity and good cycle performance with 535mAhg−1 even after 60 cycles. Moreover, the HPSC composite also exhibit excellent rate performance. The possible reasons why the composite has such an outstanding electrochemical performance are discussed also.