Three-component reactions of ethyl/methyl lactate, anilines and aldehydes providing quinolines have been developed via simple iron(III) chloride catalysis without using an additional organic medium or external oxidant. This three-component protocol shows high efficiency and broad substrate tolerance, allowing quick access to diverse quinoline products under neat reaction conditions. The results reported herein disclose important new applications of green biomass feedstock in the clean synthesis of valuable organic products.