In response to the problems such as the limited applicable scenarios of the automatic white balance algorithm (AWB), an adaptive white balance algorithm based on histogram adjustment is proposed, and the proposed algorithm is implemented in hardware using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to meet the real-time processing requirements of embedded systems. The algorithm statistically calculates the histograms of different color channels in a color image, uses the similarity of histogram shapes between channels as the judgment condition, and combines an adaptive histogram adjustment strategy to perform white balance correction for images in different scenes. The experimental results demonstrate that this algorithm exhibits excellent adaptability in both colorful and image scenarios containing large areas of monochromatic blocks. Compared with traditional white balance algorithms, the image color restoration effect is remarkable, the average accuracy of calibration is increased by 6%, and it can achieve real-time processing at a resolution of 1 280×720@30 fps on embedded devices, presenting a promising prospect for engineering applications.