β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD), a naturally occurring supramolecular structure, is an effective catalyst for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. Its ubiquity, high performance, nontoxicity, ease of separation, and reusability have drawn the attention of green chemists. Here we present the synthetic procedures of heterocyclic compounds catalyzed by β-CD in water and compare them with those using organic solvents. In many cases, using water as the solvent shows better efficiency than conventional organic solvents with regard to catalytic activity and simplicity of recycling procedures. This review highlights the applications of β-CD in catalysis covering the years 2004-2016.Mohsen Abbasi was born in Jam, Bushehr, Iran,in 1989. He received the B.Sc. degree in pure chemistry from the University of Zabol in 2012, and the M.Sc. degree in organic chemistry from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, in 2014 under the supervision of Dr. Seyed Mohammad Seyedi. His research interests include organic methodology catalysis and the application of multicomponent reactions in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. He has co-authored several reseach papers published in reputed journals and national conference proceedings.