In this research work, a clean method, in which no reducing agents, surfactants and high temperature are required, is reported for the decoration of palladium nanoparticles on graphene. In this attractive method, Pd/G catalyst is prepared by auto-reduction of palladium (II) formate solution at 60 C. Palladium (II) formate is reduced to metallic Pd at a mild temperature and yields Pd nanoparticles (NPs) that are decorated on graphene. The resultant catalyst was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electrochemical measurements. Electrochemical techniques including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) results reveal that compared to commercial Pd/C catalyst, as prepared Pd/G catalyst shows outstanding activity for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC.