Objective To investigate the effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation （taVNS） on quality of early postoperative recovery in patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung resection. Methods A total of 168 patients scheduled for elective thoracoscopic lung resection （wedge resection， segmentectomy， lobectomy） under general anesthesia were enrolled and randomly assigned to active?taVNS group （group T） or sham?taVNS group （group S） （n = 84）. Participants received four consecutive 30?minute sessions of active stimulation or sham stimulation at four time points： （1） the afternoon prior to the surgery， （2） the morning of the surgery， （3） following extubation， and （4） the first afternoon post?surgery. The Quality of Recovery?15 （QoR?15） scores of the patients， the Numerical Rating Scale （NRS） scores at rest and during cough at 24， 48， and 72 hours after surgery were recorded； and the usage of opioids within 48 hours after surgery was recorded； the duration of chest tube indwelling， incidence of severe pulmonary complications， postoperative hospital stay and adverse reactions to the stimulation （such as nausea and vomiting， fever， constipation， dizziness and itching） were observed. Results Compared with group S， group T exhibited significantly higher QoR?15 scores at 24， 48， and 72 h postoperatively， lower NRS pain scores during resting and coughing， and reduced opioid consumption within 48 hours postoperatively （P < 0.05）. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the duration of chest tube indwelling， incidence of severe pulmonary complications， hospital stay， and the incidence of adverse reactions to the stimulation （P > 0.05）. Conclusion TaVNS can significantly improve quality of early postoperative recovery in patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung resection， and provide more effective postoperative analgesia without increasing the risk of postoperative complications.