Determination of Idarubicin (IDA) as an anthracycline derivative and extensively used treatment of leukemia was investigated by electrochemical method using carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with NiO/SWCNTs nanocomposite and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMCl). The NiO/SWCNTs nanocomposites and EMCl play an important catalytic role in improving the electron transfer process at surface of CPE to monitoring of IDA. Electrochemical method was used to investigation redox behavior of IDA at surface of the NiO/SWCNTs/EMCl/CPE. The oxidation signal of IDA amplified by modification of CPE by NiO/SWCNTs and EMCl was about 4.3 times and NiO/SWCNTs/EMCl/CPE detected IDA in concentration range of 0.001–160 μM with detection limit of 0.5 nM, respectively. The evaluation of analytical and recovery data confirms the mentioned method was completely validated and successfully employed for the determination of IDA in real samples.