Magnetic Ni-carbon submicrorods were easily synthesized via the direct pyrolysis of [Ni3(BTC)2·12H2O] precursors at different temperatures. The [Ni3(BTC)2·12H2O] precursors were obtained using a simple direct precipitation method at room temperature, which is distinctly different from previous reports. The porous Ni-carbon submicrorods obtained exhibited excellent catalytic activity and good reusability for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol. In particular, the activity factor κ (κ=k/m, s−1g−1) of the Ni/C catalyst synthesized at 800°C was found to be 17.41s−1g−1, which is higher than that of many previously reported Ni-based and noble metal-based catalysts. Therefore, magnetically recoverable Ni-carbon submicrorods appear as promising catalysts to be practically explored for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol because of their facile synthesis and excellent performance.