Fruits and vegetables are rich in functional components with antioxidant, antitumor, neuroprotective, antiinflammatory, and other bioactive effects. However, these functional components are highly susceptible to damage during traditional thermal processing. Non-thermal processing technology-a new method for processing fruits and vegetables-has gradually gained widespread attention for its many advantages, including low-temperature sterilization, enzyme inactivation, and preservation of original nutritional and functional components. This paper collates the common functional components (polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamin C, dietary fiber) in fruits and vegetables, along with their structures and effects. The paper also reviews the effects of nonthermal processing technology (high pressure, ultrasound, cold plasma, pulsed electric field) on these functional components, and explores their mechanisms of action. Finally, the paper describes current challenges and future research directions for applying nonthermal technologies to fruits and vegetables, thus providing a theoretical basis for the deep processing and preservation technology in the fruit and vegetable industry.