When pure essential oil used as antibacterial agents, the dosage was relatively large, the aroma was monotonous and strong, and it was easy to cause sensory discomfort or allergy. In order to solve the problems, the minimum antimicrobial concentration (MIC) of 13 kinds of essential oils was determined. Meantime, the checkerboard dilution method, inhibition zone method and sensory evaluation were used to optimal combination of compound essential oils (CEOs) based on litsea cubeba. Furthermore, the antibacterial mechanism of compound essential oil against E.coli was evaluated. The results showed that litsea cubeba and cinnamon compound essential oil (V:V=2:1) with pleasant and comfortable aroma exhibited excellent synergistic antibacterial activity against E.coli and S.aureus, and the inhibition zone diameters were (21.12±0.17) mm and (40.26±0.61) mm, respectively. Compared with single litsea cubeba essential oil and cinnamon essential oil, the compound essential oils have a more obvious inhibitory effect against E. coli. Meanwhile, the relative conductivity and bacterial cellular content (140% and 20% higher than that of litsea cubeba essential oil and cinnamon essential oil) was increased significantly, which further confirmed the destruction towards bacteria membrane and the leakage of its contents.