A novel hydrophobic copper complex supported on γ-Fe 2 O 3 is synthesized and characterized by different methods such as FT-IR, XRD, TEM, SEM, TGA, VSM, ICP and CHN analysis. It was used as a magnetically recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for the efficient synthesis of α-aminophosphonates via a one-pot three-component reaction under solvent-free conditions. The present catalytic system worked extremely well for the synthesis of α-aminophosphonates even up to five subsequent trails without significant loss of its catalytic activity or copper leaching. The TEM image and FT-IR spectrum of the catalyst after five times recovery showed that the structure of the catalyst was stable under the reaction conditions with no change being observed. The strong magnetic properties of the reused catalyst were revealed by complete and easy attraction using an external magnet and also by VSM curve. This work represents the first and unique example of a hydrophobic copper complex for catalysis in water generating reactions.