Abstract: The porous starch is prepared using physical, chemical or enzymatical methods, possessing the characteristic of high porosity, high surface area and adsorption capacity. The porous starch possesses a functional performance and application prospect due to the porous structure, and the structural and functional characteristics of porous starch may be different due to the preparation methods, resulting in the different application potential. The preparation methods and the application status of porous starch is reviewed in this work to promote the practical application of porous starch in food industry. There are some shortcomings in the preparation methods of porous starch, the surface pores of porous starch prepared using physical method are not uniform, the chemical method cause chemical residue, and the enzymatical method has high preparation cost and poor economic benefits. These modified methods should be further optimized to widespread promotion in the food industry. The application of porous starch was widely concerned due to its structure and functional characteristics. The preparation of porous starch by enzymatic combined with physical processing or chemical modification has become a research hotpot due to the characteristics of high efficiency and easy popularization. The porous starch can used to load food nutrients, effectively preventing them from being hydrolyzed in the gastrointestinal tract and improving its bioaccessibility. Food packaging prepared with porous starch has good antioxidant and antibacterial capabilities due to its load of antibacterial and antioxidant substances, which can extend the shelf life of food. The chemically modified porous starch exhibits a sensory experience similar to fat, and it can be used to prepare fat substitutes to ameliorate health problems associated with high fat intake. This review will provide a guideline for the rational preparation and applications of porous starch in food industry in the future.