Objective To investigate the effect of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) on postoperative recovery and quality of life in patients with gallstones.Methods A total of 72 patients with gallstones admitted to the First Hospital of Qinhuangdao from March 2018 to March 2020 were selected and divided into two groups according to the random number table method, with 36 cases in each group.Patients in the control group were treated with small incision cholecystectomy, and patients in the experimental group were treated with LC.The postoperative recovery indexes, quality of life and incidence of complications of the two groups were compared.Results The postoperative recovery indexes (postoperative exhaust time, bowel sound recovery time, time to get out of bed for the first time, hospitalization time) in the experimental group were shorter than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05).The scores of postoperative psychological function,social function,material life,and physical function of the experimental group were higher than those of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05).The total incidence of postoperative complications in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion LC can reduce the incidence of postoperative complications of patients with gallstones, which is more beneficial to the early recovery and the improvement of quality of life.