Objective To study the effect of rare earth oxide CeO2 contents on the tissue morphology of aluminum surface Ni-based laser cladding layers, and to lower the porosity, cracking and other tissue defects of Ni60 cladding layer. Methods Ni-Based alloy coatings with different contents of rare-earth CeO2 were prepared on the surface of 6063 aluminum alloy using laser cladding, and the surface morphology, the cross section morphology and microstructure of the cladding layer were analyzed. Results It was difficult to obtain a good cladding layer when the CeO2 content was less than 3% , the cladding layers were prone to cracking at 0% to 2% CeO2 content. Cladding layers with 4% ~ 5% CeO2-Ni60 had the best morphology without pores and cracks, especially addition of 4% CeO2 led to relatively good cross-section morphology. The main defects were pores when the CeO2 content was 5% to 10% , but there were less porosity, loss and other defects. Conclusion Addition of CeO2 could improve the aluminum surface morphology in Ni60 cladding layers, especially addition of 4% CeO2 could improve the organizational structure of Ni60 cladding layers, and promote the grain refinement and even distribution of the structure. Therefore, the preferred addition amount of rare earth CeO2 was 4% .