<p>Structural, microstructural and electrical properties of sol–gel grown ZnO nanoparticles, LaMnO₃ (LMO) nanoparticles and ZnO based LaMnO₃ (LMO50) nanocomposites have been studied. Nanocomposite was prepared by addition of ZnO content (50% wt %) in LMO manganite. The θ–2θ X–ray diffraction (XRD) measurement reveals the single-phase nature without any detectable impurity. Rietveld refinements have been performed using FULLPROF software to verify the structural phase purity for all three samples. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images provide modification in the grain size and particle size for ZnO nanoparticles, LMO nanoparticles and LMO50 nanocomposite. Dielectric behavior has been understood in the context of cole–cole relaxation model fits very well throughout the frequency range studied. Variation in a.c. conductivity has been discussed on the basis of Jonscher’s universal power law. Power law fits suggest that charge conduction becomes possible through the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) mechanism.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>