Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic syndrome caused by a variety of pathogenic factors and characterized by the excessive deposition of fat in liver cells. At present, the pathogenesis of NAFLD is not fully understood, and there is a lack of specific drugs for NAFLD in clinical practice. Therefore, the establishment of an ideal animal model is extremely important for clarifying the pathogenesis of NAFLD and developing specific drugs and treatments. In addition to NAFLD animal models, an increasing number of disease-syndrome combined models related to NAFLD has emerged with the continuous renewal and development of traditional Chinese medicine over the past five years. This article summarizes the NAFLD animal models commonly used within the past five years, as well as their preparation and evaluation method, to provide a reference for future studies in NAFLD animal model preparation and modeling a combination of disease and syndrome.