An intumescent flame retardant (IFR), including melamine (MA), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and polydopamine (PDA), was utilized as the precursor to prepare P,N co-doped hierarchically porous carbon which exhibited high electrocatalytic activity and durability for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This finding indicates that an ingenious design of the precursor can lead to functional carbon materials using a simple process.