The invention discloses a preparation method for metal-ceramic composite powder of a core-shell structure. The preparation method comprises the following step (1) of performing catalytic activation treatment to ceramic powder particles, placing the ceramic powder particles in a reactor, and heating reactive materials; using carrier gas for carrying reactive material steam to enter the reactor, andadding hydrogen gas for reduction reaction, so that catalytic metal is deposited on the surface of the ceramic powder particles; the step (2) of placing the ceramic powder particles obtained in the step (1) in the reactor in a water bath, and adding metal salt raw material and reducing agents; and forming a metal coating through autocatalytic reaction, and obtaining the metal-ceramic composite powder. According to the preparation method, the procedures of coarsening, sensitization and reactivation in a traditional chemical metal coating process are omitted, and expensive palladium chloride catalysts are not required; the introduction of impurity palladium is avoided, and the metal coating is achieved at lower temperature; the metal content of the coating is controllable, and the overall coating technology is simple, and the preparation method is applied to industrial mass production.