•N-doped lignin-MOFs derived carbon catalyst was successfully prepared.•Co/CN-0.5–750 displayed the best vanillin hydrodeoxygenation performance.•The catalyst has good applicability for conversion of lignin-derived phenols. Upgrading of lignin-derived bio-oil to value-added biofuel was of great significance for efficient utilization of renewable resources and reducing the use of fossil fuels. Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) was considered to be a promising technology for the conversion of lignin-derived bio-oil. Herein, we reported a novel method for the preparation of lignin-MOF derived N-doped catalysts, which was then successfully introduced into the upgrading of lignin-derived phenols and lignin depolymerization. All catalysts were well characterized and Co/CN-0.5–750 exhibited excellent performance during the catalytic HDO process. The optimized catalyst demonstrated highly efficient active hydrogen generation from isopropanol. Moreover, it could afford the best vanillin (VAN) conversion (100 %) and highest 2-Methoxy-4-methylphenol (MMP) yield (92 %) under the mild reaction conditions (180 °C, 0.5 MPa nitrogen, 2 h). It was confirmed that the excellent performance was related to nitrogen doping. This study could provide some useful insights for the hydrodeoxygenation of lignin and its derivative.