Objective To develop a method for the determination of 23 pesticides in vegetables by atmospheric pressure gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (APGC-MS/MS). Methods Acetone was used to extract target compounds in vegetable samples, while multi-walled carbon nanotubes was used as purifying material. The extracts were separated by DB-5MS column(30 m×0.25 mm, 0.25 μm). APGC-MS/MS was operated in positive ion multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM) for pesticides detection. External standard calibration method was used for quantification. Results The 23 pesticides showed good linearity in the range of 0.01-20 μg/L, with correlation coefficient (R²) above 0.99. The detection limits and quantification limits of 23 pesticide residues in vegetable substrates were 0.02-0.40 and 0.05-1.25 μg/kg, respectively. The recoveries were between 66.7%-110.7% with relative standard deviation (RSD)≤14.8%. ConclusionThe method had high sensitivity, reproductivity and specificity and was suitable for rapid detection of multiple pesticide residues in vegetables.