The invention relates to the technical field of hydroxymethylfurfural preparation, particularly a preparation method of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, which comprises the following steps: dissolving a saccharide raw material in a dimethylsulfoxide solvent, heating to 80-160 DEG C, adding chromium chloride to react, and detecting the reaction yield of the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural; and when the yield is greater than 90%, quenching the reaction, carrying out vacuum distillation to remove the solvent, diluting the residual liquid with a saturated sodium chloride water solution to obtain a solution to be extracted, extracting with an organic solvent, and drying by distillation to obtain the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. The mass ratio of the saccharide raw material to the dimethylsulfoxide is 1:(1.5-20), and the addition amount of chromium chloride is 5-20 wt% of the saccharide raw material. The synthetic route is easy and simple to operate, and does not need any inert gas protective atmosphere; the total mass yield is up to higher than 90%, and the purity is up to higher than 96%; and the invention is suitable for industrial production, and enhances the solid content of the reaction to 33%, thereby greatly enhancing the reaction efficiency.