The invention belongs to the technical field of organic synthesis, and relates to a p-benzoquinone compound preparation method, which comprises: 1) sequentially adding a phenol compound, a transitionmetal salt catalyst, an acidic ionic liquid and a solvent to a high pressure reaction kettle, introducing oxygen to achieve a specified pressure, heating to a specified temperature, continuously stirring, and carrying out a reaction for 0.5-5 h; and 2) after the reaction is finished, separating the catalyst from the reaction system, evaporating the solvent, washing the residual solid with a solvent, and carrying out steam stripping to obtain the p-benzoquinone compound. According to the method disclosed by the invention, high conversion rate and high selectivity are ensured, the dosage of thetransition metal catalyst is effectively reduced, the ionic liquid catalyst can be recycled multiple times, a low-emission and environment-friendly production process is realized, the economy is alsogreatly improved, and the method is suitable for industrial production.