Single crystals of L-arginine maleate dihydrate (LAMD) were successfully grown from aqueous solution by solvent evaporation technique. As-grown crystals were analyzed by different instrumentation techniques such as X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and UV-vis near infrared (NIR) transmittance spectra. Thermal behavior has been studied with TGA/DTA analyses. The optical second harmonic generation (SHG) conversion efficiency of LAMD was determined using Kurtz powder technique and found to be 1.5 times that of KDP.