Abstract: Basil essential oil (BEO) is a green and safe antibacterial agent. However, the high volatility of BEO has limited its application in the field of antibacterial wound dressings. BEO nanoparticles (BEO@Zein) were prepared by nanoprecipitation method. They were then loaded on the hydrogel based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form BEO@Zein/PVP-PVA hydrogel wound dressing by freeze-thaw cycle. The microscopic morphology and structure of BEO@Zein and hydrogel were characterized. The antibacterial property, mechanical property, swelling and moisturizing, degradability and blood compatibility of hydrogel were studied. The results show that BEO@Zein forms a nano-spherical structure with BEO as core and Zein as shell (mean particle size is 56.3 nm), which significantly reduces the volatility of BEO. BEO@Zein/PVP-PVA hydrogel can release BEO slowly, thus exhibiting excellent slow-release antibacterial property. Therefore, BEO@Zein/PVP-PVA hydrogel has excellent antimicrobial persistence (over 72 h). In addition, the hydrogel shows remarkable antibacterial biofilm property. BEO@Zein/PVP-PVA hydrogel has good mechanical property, swelling and moisturizing, degradability, and blood compatibility. Studies have shown that BEO@Zein/PVP-PVA hydrogel can be used as a good wound dressing material.