Objective To review the recent progress of the researches in construction of tissue engineered osteochondral composites, and to discuss the challenges in construction of tissue engineered osteochondral composites. Methods The recent literature on the construction of tissue engineered osteochondral composites was extensively reviewed and analyzed. Results The studies on the construction of tissue engineered osteochondral composites are relatively more in vivo, the current focus is that different tissues derived mesenchymal stem cells are widely used to be seed cells; single-phase scaffold has been limited, studies on biphase scaffold and triphase scaffold are new trends; the design and performance of bioreactor need to be further optimized in the future. Conclusion The construction of tissue engineered osteochondral composites will be a promising method for the treatment of cartilage defects.