Many studies have examined metallic nanoparticles (NPs) produced according to the principles of green chemistry. Gold NPs have drawn much more attention than other metallic NPs in recent years. Moreover, among all gold NP synthesis studies, using plant-derived molecules is one of the commonly used reductants in studies on NP synthesis because of its convenience in terms of shape, size control advantage, and nontoxic specifications. The present review focused on studies of the synthesis of gold NP types, including single gold atom NPs, alloyed AU NPs, and core-shell Au NPs as well as their conditions and applications. The effect of those structures on application fields such as catalysis, antifungal action, antibacterial activities, sensors and so on are also summarized. Furthermore, the morphology and synthesis conditions of the primer and secondary NP were discussed. In addition to synthesis methods, characterization methods were analyzed in the context of the considerable diversity of the reducing agents used. As the reducing agents used in most studies, polyphenols and proteins usually play an active role. Finally, the challenges and drawbacks in plant-derived agent usage for the preparation of Au NPs at various industries were also discussed.