An X-ray detection method and an X-ray detector are provided. The X-ray detection method according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes: dividing an energy range of photons emitted by an X-ray source into a number N of energy windows, where N is an integer greater than 0; obtaining a weighting factor for each of the number N of energy windows based on linear attenuation coefficients of a substance of interest and a background substance of an imaging target; obtaining a weighting factor matrix for M output channels of an X-ray detector based on the weighting factor for each of the number N of energy windows, where M is an integer greater than 0; and obtaining output results of the M output channels based on the weighting factor matrix and numbers of photons having an energy range falling into individual energy windows of the number N of energy windows.