Objective To investigate the effect of intravenous infusion of lidocaine on postoperative early recovery quality in patients undergoing supratentorial tumor resection. Methods A total of 60 patients who were scheduled for supratentorial tumor resection were selected. According to the random number table method, they were divided into two groups (n=30): a lidocaine group (group L) and a normal saline group (group C). On the basis of the same other anesthetics in the two groups, patients in group L were intravenously injected with 1.5 mg/kg lidocaine over 10 min before induction of anesthesia, followed by intravenous infusion at a rate of 2.0 mg·kg−1·h−1 until the end of surgery, group C was given the same volume of normal saline at the same time point. Then, the 40⁃item Quality of Recovery Score (QoR‑40 score) were recorded 1 day before operation (D1), and 1, 2 d, and 7 d after operation (D2, D3 and D4). Their anesthesia time, operation time, extubation time, the consumption of sufentanil, remifentanil and propofol, the incidence of adverse events, the usage of vasoactive agents, the incidence of coughing and agitation during extubation, the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) within 24 h after operation, the frequency of remedial analgesia,Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score at 24 h after operation and the length of postoperative hospitalization stay were recorded. Results Compared with group C, the dosages of remifentanil and propofol in group L were significantly reduced (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in each QoR‑40 scores between two groups at D1 (P>0.05). Compared with those at D1, the global QoR‑40 scores and the scores of physical comfort, emotion, physical independence and pain at D2 and D3 in two groups significantly decreased (P<0.05), and psychological support scores in group C at D2 decreased, while psychological support scores in group L at D3 increased (P<0.05). At D4, the global QoR‑40 scores and the scores for physical comfort and physical independence decreased but psychological support scores increased in both groups, while the pain scores in group C decreased (P<0.05). Compared with group C, group L presented remarkably increases in the global QoR‑40 scores and the scores of physical comfort, emotion, and pain scores at D2 and D3 (P<0.05). Group L showed decreases in the incidence of hypertension and hypotension, the use of vasoactive agents, the incidences of coughing, agitation and PONVwithin 24 h after operation, frequency of remedial analgesia, the VAS score at 24 h after operation and the length of hospitalization stay, compared with group C (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in other indexes between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions Intravenous infusion of lidocaine can improve the QoR‑40 score of patients with supratentorial tumor within 2 d after surgery, reduce the consumption of opioids in the perioperative period, decrease the incidence of PONV and pain intensity, and improve postoperatively early recovery quality.