Ultra-high pressure (UHP) was applied for pectin extraction from navel orange peel. The effects of pressure, temperature and pressure-holding time on the extraction yield and viscosity of pectin were investigated. A 2-factor 3-level design, following a single-factor experiment, was carried out to optimize the extraction parameters and the optimal conditions of UHP extraction were determined as pressure 500MPa, temperature 55°C, pressure-holding time 10min. Under the optimal conditions, the yield of pectin (20.44%±0.64) was significantly higher than those extracted by traditional heating (15.47%±0.26) and microwave (18.13%±0.23). The physicochemical properties and rheological characteristics of pectin extracted by ultra-high pressure, traditional heating and microwave as well as commercial pectin were also compared. The results showed that the intrinsic viscosity and viscosity-average molecular weight of pectin extracted by UHP (0.7604L/g and 3.063×10 5 Da) were much higher than those extracted by traditional heating (0.4276L/g and 1.521×10 5 Da), microwave (0.3591L/g and 1.230×10 5 Da), and the commercial pectin (0.2160L/g and 0.663×10 5 Da). The same results were also obtained in the rheological characteristics, activation energy and gelling properties determination. These results clearly demonstrated that UHP is a more efficient, time saving, and eco-friendly alternative for pectin extraction from navel orange peel, especially for pectin with higher viscosity and stability.