The invention relates to a nano-cerium oxide-based composite material with a flower-like structure, which is a powder material with an average particle diameter of 100nm-100μm, and flakes with a thickness of 2-500nm grow on each particle, showing a flower-like structure. The cerium oxide-based composite material is cerium oxide and selected from lanthanum oxide, copper oxide, zirconia, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, manganese oxide, iron oxide, cobalt oxide, nickel oxide, vanadium oxide, tungsten oxide, Binary or ternary composite oxide formed by one or two oxides of molybdenum oxide, silicon oxide, zinc oxide, gadolinium oxide, yttrium oxide, spectrum oxide, samarium oxide, scandium oxide, europium oxide, erbium oxide, and ytterbium oxide The molar ratio of oxides other than cerium oxide to cerium oxide is 0.001-0.5:1. The composite material has a very large specific surface area and can be used as an anode material of a solid oxide fuel cell or a support body of a noble metal catalyst.