Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using bovine serum albumin as stabilizers through a facile one-pot strategy in aqueous media. The morphology and crystal phase of the zinc oxide nanoparticles were determined by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractograms, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles exhibited strong absorption and photoluminescence properties in the visible wavelength region based on the fluorescence and UV-visible spectroscopy. Based on the results, the zinc oxide nanoparticles could effectively degrade the organic dyes through the mediation of the hydroxyl radical under visible light irradiation. Furthermore, the zinc oxide nanoparticles show good recycling stability during the photocatalytic experiments. These results suggested that the as-prepared zinc oxide nanoparticles might be used as a potential photocatalyst to efficiently treat the organic pollutants. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using bovine serum albumin as stabilizers through a facile one-pot strategy in aqueous media. The morphology and crystal phase of the zinc oxide nanoparticles were determined by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractograms, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles has strong absorption and photoluminescence properties in the visible wavelength region based on the fluorescence and UV-visible spectroscopy. Based on the results, the zinc oxide nanoparticles could effectively degrade the organic dyes through the mediation of the hydroxyl radical under visible light These results suggest that the as-prepared zinc oxide nanoparticles might be used as a potential photocatalyst to efficiently treat the organic pollutants.