Objective To compare the recovery profiles and operation room turnover of desflurane vs sevoflurane in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods A total of 80 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were enrolled. According to the random number table method, they were divided into two groups (n=40): a desflurane group and a sevoflurane group. Patients in the desflurane group received 6% desflurane, while those in the sevoflurane group inhaled 1.5% sevoflurane. Furthermore, remifentanil was intravenously infused at 0.2 μg·kg‒1·min‒1 for combined anesthesia. Then, both groups were compared for their heart rate and mean arterial pressure (MAP) at admission (T1), after induction (T2), at the beginning of pneumoperitoneum (T3), at the end of pneumoperitoneum (T4), after removal of laryngeal mask airway (T5) and when leaving the operating room (T6). The times of eye⁃opening, spontaneous respiratory recovery, orientation recovery, modified Aldrete score up to 9 points, Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation (OAA/S) scores out of the operation room, the time of removal of laryngeal mask airway and the time from the end of surgery to leaving the operating room were recorded. Meanwhile, the incidence of adverse effects during anesthesia recovery was recorded in the two groups. Results There were no statistical difference in general information, heart rate and MAP at each time points between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the sevoflurane group, the desflurane group showed remarkably decreases in the times of eye⁃opening, orientation recovery, modified Aldrete score of 9 points, removal of laryngeal mask airway and from the end of surgery to leaving the operating room (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the time of spontaneous respiratory recovery, OAA/S scores out of the operation room, and the incidence of adverse effects during anesthesia recovery in the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions Desflurane has the advantages of accelerating patient recovery and promoting operating room turnover, compared with sevoflurane in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.