<p>Pickering emulsion gels as versatile soft carriers for encapsulation and delivery of bioactives have shown great prospects for the extensive application in food, cosmetic and medical industry. In this work, zein-based Pickering emulsion gels (ZPEGs) emulsified and stabilized by zein/pectin complex nanoparticles (ZPNPs) were developed as delivery carriers of bioactives. The particle size, zeta-potential, and surface wettability of ZPNPs with different zein-to-pectin mass ratios were systematically evaluated. The optimized ZPNPs with neutral wettability and high surface charge were shown to be capable of rapidly forming and stabilizing O/W Pickering emulsion gels at lower ZPNPs content (1%) and high oil fractions of 0.4–0.6, exhibiting long-term storage stability (over 60&#xa0;days), excellent viscoelasticity and plasticity (G’ &gt; G"). The microscopy characterization, including SEM and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), revealed the intuitive network architecture and emulsion interface microstructure of ZPNPs and ZPEGs. As delivery carriers, the curcumin-loaded gels, prepared by encapsulating curcumin either in ZPNPs particles or in the oil phase of emulsion gels, could effectively improve the digestion stability (&gt; 70%) and bioaccessibility (&gt; 40%) under simulated gastrointestinal digestion conditions, furthermore, the curcumin-loading mode in ZPEGs had significant effects on the delivery properties. These results may be of practical importance for the development of zein-based Pickering emulsion gels for encapsulation and controlled release of bioactives, as well as for the rational design and optimization of area-confined co-loading systems.</p>