Crop straw returning has become a prevailing cultivation practice in the vast area of the North China Plain (NCP). Crop straw returning has multiple influences on crop yield and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. This study was conducted to determine appropriate straw returning depth to adapt to climate change with minimizing N2O emissions and increasing crop yield for stabilization of green production systems. Five maize straw returning depths were applied: Straw mulch (D0); Straw mixed with 0-10 cm soil (D1); Straw mixed with 0-20 cm soil (D2); Straw mixed with 0-10 cm soil layer and return to 10-20 cm soil layer (D3); Straw mixed with 10-20 cm soil (D4), and no straw incorporation. Straw returning could increase yield, which contribute to the improved spikes number and grain number per spike. However, no significant difference among straw returning depths. Straw return increased N2O emission by 25.20% compared with no straw incorporation on average. Seasonal differences were found in cumulative N2O emissions at different growth stages under different straw returning depths. The cumulative N2O emission from sowing to reviving accounts for the largest proportion of the total emission, with an average of 60%. Compared with CK, D2 and D3, D0 had higher emissions from sowing to reviving, but the emissions from reviving to anthesis are less than D2, D3 and D4 (P<0.05). Overall, compared with D0 and D2, D3 decreased N2O emission by 19.0% and 14.3%, respectively. The soil temperature at 5, 10 and 20 cm and NO3-N content which favor soil denitrification were positively related to N2O emission (P<0.05). At 0-10 cm depth, NO3-N of D0 and D1 were higher than D3 and D4 at wintering, but the trend was opposite in the anthesis stage. In conclusion, straw mixed with 0-10 cm soil layer and return to 10-20 cm soil layer can potentially increase wheat yield, reduce N2O emissions in the NCP and ensure crop production to meet the growing demand for food under future climate change.