A macroporous SnO2/C composite anode material was synthesized using an organic template-assisted method. Polystyrene spheres were synthesized and used as template and lead to macroporous morphology with pores of 300–500nm in diameter and a surface area of 54.7m2 g−1. X-ray diffraction showed that the SnO2 nanoparticles are crystallized in a rutile P42/mnm lattice with the presence of Sn metal traces. The synthesized macroporous SnO2/C composite provided promising performance in lithium half cells showing a discharge capacity of 607mAhg−1 after 55 cycles. It was found that the macroporous SnO2/C composite is stable and resistant to pulverization upon cycling.