The carbon incorporated titanium dioxide (C–TiO2) has been in-situ synthesized via facile flame-assisted approach using tetrabutyl orthotitanate as a precursor. The as-prepared C–TiO2 samples are characterized by SEM, XRD, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, EDX, TGA and electrochemical measurements. It is found that carbon incorporated TiO2 microspheres can be directly obtained without any post annealing. Enhanced lithium storage performance is observed for the resultant sample after ball milling. The reversible capacity remains 159.8 mAh g−1 at a specific current of 335 mA g−1 even after 960 charge–discharge cycles. The high capacity reversibility and good long-term cycling capability are attributed to the inherently incorporated carbon species, which efficiently improve electronic conductivity. Meanwhile, the intrinsic crystal structure and enlarged contact area between electrode and electrolyte provide abundant channels for Li-ion transport. This work could not only make the prepared C–TiO2 a promising anode candidate, but also present an available strategy for developing other electrode materials.