<p>In this work, the magnetic zinc ferrite (ZnFe₂O₄), a normal spinel ferrite, and its composites with ZSM-5 type ferrisilicate zeolite were synthesized using a simple co-precipitation method. Co-precipitation can control the size of nanoparticles and accordingly their magnetic properties. Pure ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles and ZnFe₂O₄/Zeolite composites with different weight percentages of ZnFe₂O₄ (10%, 33%, and 50%) were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and diffuse‐reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) techniques. The prepared materials were used as photocatalysts for degradation of methylene blue under UV and visible light. The results showed that ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles could not significantly remove methylene blue. Meanwhile, ZnFe₂O₄ loaded on the ferrisilicate zeolite could effectively degrade pollutants. Adsorption of methylene blue by zeolite as a support and restriction of the electron-holes recombination by its electrostatic field facilitate the dye degradation. The ZnFe₂O₄ 33%/Zeolite composite showed the highest photocatalytic activity and degraded about 93% of methylene blue under both UV and visible light. Mechanistic studies revealed that singlet oxygen (¹O₂) has a dominant role in photocatalytic degradation. The degradation of methylene blue by all prepared nanocomposites followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>