The invention relates to a preparation method of a zinc-doped hydroxyapatite coating used for a magnesium alloy material. The method comprises the following steps of (1) pretreatment of a magnesium alloy matrix, specifically, after being cut and ground, the magnesium alloy matrix is washed to be clean; (2) preparation of hydrothermal solution, specifically, a calcium source, a phosphorus source and a zinc source are added into water, the pH value is regulated to be 9-11, and the hydrothermal solution is obtained; and (3) preparation of the coating, specifically, the magnesium alloy matrix after pretreatment is placed a hydrothermal reactor containing the hydrothermal solution, the hydrothermal reaction is conducted, and the zinc-doped hydroxyapatite coating wrapping the magnesium alloy matrix is obtained. Compared with the prior art, the preparation method adopts a hydrothermal method to prepare the zinc-doped modified hydroxyapatite coating on the surface of a magnesium alloy, the coating is uniform and compact, combining of the coating and the matrix is good, the thickness of a film layer is considerable, and the biocompatibility of the magnesium alloy is further improved while the corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy is improved effectively.