N-doped porous CoO@C nanocubes were fabricated using a hydrothermal method and annealing process. The uniform wrapped carbon layer effectively mitigates the volume changes during electrochemical reactions. Moreover, the porous carbon layer enhances the electrical conductivity and promotes Li ion diffusion. Therefore, the as-prepared CoO@C nanocubes maintian a capacity of 565 mA h/g at 0.2 A/g after 100 cycles. This stabilization ability is attributed to the introduction of carbon layer and its porous structure, which buffers the volume expansion of cobalt oxide, and increases the surface area and active sites.