A trimethylamine (TEA)-assisted synthesis approach that combines the preparation of hierarchical porous zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-8 nanoparticles and one-pot encapsulation of target molecules is presented. Two dye molecules, rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB), and one protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA) were tested as the target molecules. The addition of TEA into the solution of zinc nitrate promoted the formation of ZnO nanocrystals, which rapidly transformed to ZIF-8 nanoparticles after the addition of the linker 2-methylimidazole (Hmim). Hierarchical porous dye@ZIF-8 nanoparticles with high crystallinity, large BET surface areas (1300–2500 m2/g), and large pore volumes (0.5–1.0 cm3/g) could be synthesized. The synthesis procedure was fast (down to 2 min) and scalable. The Hmim/Zn ratio could be greatly reduced (down to 2:1) compared to previously reported ones. The surface …