Provided is a method of preparing a lithium metal anodeincluding forming a current collector on a substrate that includes a release component; depositing a lithium metal on the current collector; and releasing the current collector with the deposited lithium metal from the substrate. The method may produce a lithium metal anode with a clean lithium surface and a current collector with a small thickness. The lithium metal anode may be used to increase the energy density of a battery.