In this work, we report on the synthesis of hybrid Au-ZnO nanoparticles using a one-pot chemical method that makes use of 1,3-propanediol as a solvent, a reducing agent and a stabilizing layer. The produced nanoparticles consisted of Au cores decorated with ZnO nanoparticles. The structure and morphology of the nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) and Raman spectroscopy. Optical extinction measurements, combined with numerical simulations, showed that the Au-ZnO nanoparticles exhibit a localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) clearly red-shifted with respect to that of bare Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). This work contributes to the emergence of multi-functional nanomaterials with possible applications in surface plasmon resonance based biosensors, energy-conversion devices, and in water-splitting hydrogen production. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.