Nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs) with a diameter of around 20 nm were decorated on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets by multi-step electroless deposition, to fabricate Ni-RGO nanocomposites. A uniform dispersion of NiNPs was achieved easily with numerous Pd nanoparticles as active centers, and graphene oxide sheets, the substrates, were reduced at the same time. The magnetic hysteresis loop of as-synthesized sample indicates Ni-RGO nanocomposites exhibit ferromagnetic properties with saturation magnetization of 11.05 emu/g and coercivity of 200 Oe, which hold a broad prospect of applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.