A new and simple method to synthesize stable and crystalline pure phase Cerium doped Zinc oxide nanoparticles has been developed using glycerol as a structure directing agent and cerium nitrate Ce(NO)3.6 H2O as a dopant. Cerium doped Zinc nanoparticles are prepared by hydrothermal technique, calcinated at 3500C and characterized by using the x-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), electron dispersive X-ray spectrometry(EDS), UV-visible spectrophotometry and FTIR spectroscopy. The results indicate that the synthesized powders are nanocrystalline Ce doped Zinc oxide with cubic structure