<p>Vitamin C and vitamin E are both effective antioxidants in plants, which can cooperate in eliminating reactive oxygen species. They also act as key nutrients in human body, whose biofortification in daily fruits or vegetables is of vital significant. Sprouting is now regarded as an effective way to accumulate nutrients and can be easily affected by growing condition. Among them, maize seedlings are receiving more and more attention owing to its nutritious property, which can be designedly optimized by light spectrums. Therefore, the effects of different light spectrums on vitamin C and vitamin E accumulation in different tissues of maize seedlings during sprouting period were studied. Results showed that blue and white lights were beneficial to the accumulations of vitamin C and vitamin E. Combined red and blue lights could increase vitamin C and vitamin E contents in the roots. Key-coding genes <i>ZmGME</i>, <i>ZmVTC2</i>, <i>ZmGalDH</i>, and <i>ZmGLDH</i> were important for vitamin C biosynthesis, while <i>ZmDHAR</i> activated ascorbate–glutathione cycle. The increases of vitamin E in roots were involved with <i>ZmHPT</i> and <i>ZmTMT</i>. It is hypothesis that, through ascorbate–glutathione cycle, both vitamin C and α-tocopherol syntheses were stimulated under potential oxidative stress in the roots of maize seedlings. The present study provided basic knowledge of low-energy cultivation and was conducive to the sprouting and usage of maize seedlings as nutritious edible plants or food ingredients.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>