Objective To determine a rapid electroless technique for Ni-Zn-P alloy coating. Methods The effects of the concentration of main salts, pH, temperature and electroless time on the deposition rate and Zn ° Ni (wt. % ) of coating were studied by a series of experiments. An optimized electroless technique for Ni-Zn-P alloy was achieved. The morphology, composition, phase structure and corrosion resistance of the coating were analyzed by SEM, EDS, XRD and EIS, respectively. Results Ni-Zn-P alloy coating was prepared on carbon steel by the electroless technique when ZnSO4·7H2O, NiSO4·6H2O, NaH2PO2·H2O, NH4Cl, C6H5Na3O7·2H2O, stabilizing agent, pH and temperature were 8 g/ L, 35 g/ L, 20 g/ L, 50 g/ L, 70 g/ L, 1. 5 mg/ L, 9. 0 and 90 ~ 95 ℃ , respectively. The deposition rate of the coating was 5 ~ 6 μm/ h. The contents of Zn, Ni and P in the coating were 8wt. % ~ 10wt. % , 80wt. % ~ 85wt. % and about 6wt. % , respectively. Besides, the Ni in the coating showed crystalline structure in the presence of Zn. The diffraction peaks of Ni (111) and Ni (200) appeared at 2θ = 45 ° and 2θ = 52 °. In addition, electroless time had slight influence on the coating composition, but could affect the corrosion resistance of the coating. The thickness of Ni-Zn-P alloy coating was about 9 ~ 10 μm when the electroless time was 1. 5 h. The Ni-Zn-P coating with a thickness of 9 ~ 10 μm had better corrosion resistance than the Ni-P coating with the same thickness. Conclusion The electroless deposition rate for Ni-Zn-P coating was higher. The presence of 8wt. % ~ 10wt. % Zn led to the formation of crystalline Ni in the coating, and improved the corrosion resistance of the coating.