Glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with L-cysteine and gold nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide (AuNPs-RGO) composite was fabricated as a novel electrochemical sensor for the determination of Cu 2 + . The AuNPs-RGO composite was formed on GCE surface by electrodeposition. The L-cysteine was decorated on AuNPs by self-assembly. Physicochemical and electrochemical properties of L-cysteine/AuNPs-RGO/GCE were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry and adsorptive stripping voltammetry. The results validated that the prepared electrode had many attractive features, such as large electroactive area, good electrical conductivity and high sensitivity. Experimental conditions, including electrodeposition cycle, self-assembly time, electrolyte pH and preconcentration time were studied and optimized. Stripping signals obtained from L-cysteine/ AuNPs-RGO/GCE exhibited good linear relationship with Cu 2 + concentrations in the range from 2 to 60 mg L À1 , with a detection limit of 0.037 mg L À1 . Finally, the prepared electrode was applied for the determination of Cu 2 + in soil samples, and the results were in agreement with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.