The work aims to study the relationship between the content of antioxidant components in citrus peels, their antioxidant activities and the reduction efficiency towards nano-silver. Flavonoids, soluble phenolic acids and vitamin C were extracted from the citrus peels of eight different varieties, respectively. The constituents, contents and their antioxidant activities were determined. Nano-silver was then synthesized separately with the extracts of these citrus peels, and the reduction efficiency and size of nano-silver were determined. Correlation analysis was conducted between the contents of antioxidant components and IC50 values (the mass fraction of antioxidant when DPPH mass fraction was reduced to 50%), as well as the reduction efficiency towards nano-silver, respectively. The contents of flavonoids, phenolic acids and vitamin C in the eight kinds of citrus peels were signifi-cantly different. Nano-silver was successfully synthesized by all the extracts of these citrus peels, separately. However, peels of Amakusa showed the highest reduction efficiency and the lowest size of nano-silver prepared. The reduction efficiency of citrus peel extracts towards nano-silver was significantly correlated with the antioxidant activities of flavonoids, phenolic acids and vitamin C in citrus peels, and was also significantly correlated with the contents of new hesperidin of flavonoids, erucic acid of phenolic acids and vitamin C. The synthesis of nano–silver was mainly contributed by the reduction effects of new hesperidin of flavonoids, erucic acid of phenolic acids and vitamin C in citrus peels. The peels of Amakusa show the best performance to synthesize nano-silver among the eight varieties of citruses tested in this study.