A series of Ni/SBA-15 and Ni-Au/SBA-15 mesoporous catalysts were synthesized by incipient wetness impregnation and tested in ethanol steam reforming for hydrogen production. ICP-OES, N-2 adsorption-desorption, XRD, H-2-TPR, TEM and TG-DTG were used to characterize these catalysts in detail. It was found that the incorporation of Au into Ni/SBA-15 catalysts not only improved the dispersion of the NiO phase to form the smaller nickel oxide particle, but also strengthened the interaction between the SBA-15 support and NiO phase, thus efficiently reducing the coke deposition on active sites. Due to these promoting effects, the Au promoted Ni/SBA-15 catalyst showed a high activity and excellent long-term stability for ethanol steam reforming. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.