A novel fabrication method of dense ceria-based barrier layer was proposed to fulfil the low-cost fabrication and long-term operation of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). A Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) electrolyte of anode supported half-cell was immersed in a solution of gadolinium nitrate and cerium nitrate, and treated at 180 ℃ for 36 h, then yielding a dense Gd2O3 doped CeO2 (GDC) thin film. The GDC thin film was co-sintered with screen printed La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ cathode at 1 075 ℃, thus obtaining an anode supported single cell. The results show that the hydrothermal grown GDC barrier layer is continuous and dense, with a chemical composition of Gd0.044Ce0.956O2-δ and a thickness of 0.23 μm. The Ohmic resistance of anode supported a single cell at 750 ℃ is 0.101 Ω·cm2, which is 38% lower than that of the cell with a conventional screen printed GDC barrier layer. The maximum power density using a wet hydrogen fuel reaches 1.038 W/cm2 with a decent long-term operation durability. This hydrothermal in-situ growth method can satisfy the low-cost and large-scale fabrication of dense and thin-film barrier layers for SOFC with multi-configurations and dimensions, showing a promising application prospect.