The synthesis of ZnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles was performed using the solution combustion method with three types of fuel, namely urea, glycine, and ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) with precursors (Zn(NO 3 ) 2 .6H 2 O and Fe(NO 3 ) 3 .9H 2 O. The combustion process was conducted in an open space at 300 °C for ± 1 h, resulting in a brownish-black ZnFe 2 O 4 . Meanwhile, the fuel type used in the process affects the physicochemical properties of ZnFe 2 O 4 . XRD analysis showed that ZnFe 2 O 4 synthesized using urea, glycine, and EDTA had spinel structures with crystal sizes of 10.19, 20.34, and 27.21 nm, respectively. The FTIR spectra of ZnFe 2 O 4 synthesized using the three fuel types had Zn-O and Fe-O stretching vibrations. Furthermore, the morphology of ZnFe 2 O 4 synthesized using urea was more homogeneous than glycine and EDTA. The saturation magnetization of ZnFe 2 O 4 synthesized using EDTA was 54.63 emu/g compared to glycine and urea, 50.93 and 44.73 emu/g, respectively. Finally, the surface area of synthesized ZnFe 2 O 4 using urea, glycine, and EDTA were 116.4, 100.6, and 94.2 m 2 /g, respectively.