Taking advantage of biocompatible β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and ionic liquid (IL), β-cyclodextrin functionalized with acid ionic liquid (β-CD-AIL) was prepared and characterized by FT-IR, 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR. β-CD-AIL was evaluated as catalyst for the preparation of 12-aryl-8,9,10,12-tetrahydrobenzo [a]xanthen-11-ones via one-pot condensation reaction of β-naphthol, aromatic aldehydes and cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. The results showed that β-CD-AIL behaved excellent efficiency and recyclability. The key benefits of this protocol involve mild reaction conditions, fast reaction speed, good to excellent yields and simple operational procedure.