Cubic boron nitride (cBN) crystals have been successfully synthesized by in situ hydrothermal method. In order to obtain cBN pure phase crystals, two comparative experiments were carried out. The experimental results indicated that compared to one-step in situ hydrothermal method, multi-step in situ hydrothermal method was beneficial to the synthesis of cBN. It is believed that the multi-step in situ hydrothermal method is the optimal route to synthesize pure cBN bulk crystals.