•Lanthanum doped hydrochar was prepared by one-pot hydrothermal carbonization.•The adsorbents was highly effective in P adsorption in a wide range of pH.•The competing anions showed little negative effects on P adsorption on the adsorbent. Engineered hydrochar composites (EHC) were synthesized by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of lanthanum pretreated rice straw. The as-prepared composite with about 30% lanthanum content showed greater P removal potential than La(OH)3, indicating the synergistic effect of hydrochar and lanthanum in P removal. The adsorption results showed that EHC showed great P adsorption capacities (>50mgPg−1) in the pH range of 2.5–10.5, and the presence of competing anions had little negative effects on P adsorption on EHC. The equilibrium time for P adsorption on EHC was considerably reduced under acid condition (12h) compared to alkaline condition (48h). The maximum adsorption capacity was 61.57mgPg−1 according to Langmuir isotherms. These results suggested that EHC was highly effective in P adsorption in a wide range of pH and the presence of competing anions, thus EHC could be a promising adsorbent for phosphorus removal/recovery from wastewater.