A simple and fast plasma reduction method is developed for synthesis of Au and Pd metal nanoparticles. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis indicates a formation of aggregates of Au and Pd nanoparticles with branched structure. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image shows that the inclusive nanoparticles are all about 5 nm in size. Compared to conventional hydrogen reduction method, plasmamethod inhibits the agglomeration of metal particles. The room temperature operation is very helpful to limit the nanoparticle size. Most interestingly, plasma reduction produces more flattened metal particles. This plasma reduction does not require the use of any hazardous reducing chemicals, showing the great potential for the fabrication of noble metal nanoparticles. (C) 2015 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.