This study evaluated the effects of dietary myo-inositol (MI) on growth performance, body composition, antioxidant status and lipid metabolism of juvenile Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) fed different percentage of lipid. Crabs (4.58 ± 0.05 g) were fed four diets including a normal lipid diet (N, containing 7% lipid and 0 mg/kg MI), N with MI supplementation (N+MI, containing 7% lipid and 1600 mg/kg MI), a high lipid diet (H, containing 13% lipid and 0 mg/kg MI) and H with MI supplementation (H+MI, containing 13% lipid and 1600 mg/kg MI) for 8 weeks. The H+MI group showed higher weight gain and specific growth rate than those in the H group. The dietary MI could improve the reduction of whole-body protein content, low MI content in the hepatopancreas, and lipid accumulations in the whole-body, hepatopancreas and muscle as a result of feeding on the high dietary lipid (13%) in crabs. Besides, the crabs fed the H+MI diets increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, but reduced the malondialdehyde content in hepatopancreas compared with those fed the H diets. Moreover, dietary MI enhanced the expression of genes involved in lipid oxidation and exportation, yet reduced lipid absorption and synthesis genes expression in the hepatopancreas of crabs fed the H diet, which might be related to the activation of IP3R/CaMKKβ/AMPK signalling pathway. This study demonstrates that MI could increase lipid utilization and reduce lipid deposition in the hepatopancreas of E. sinensis fed a high lipid diet through IP3R/CaMKKβ/AMPK activation. This work provides new insights into the function of MI in the diet of crustaceans.