A surfactant-improved ethanol fermentation method comprises adding a nonionic surfactant as a protection agent of yeast cell into a fermentation culture medium, therefore greatly improving survival rate of yeast cells in very high gravity ethanol fermentation liquid and endpoint ethanol concentration. The present invention not only improves the cyclic utilization efficiency of the yeast cells, but also achieves the synchronous recycling of the surfactant and a pH adjusting agent. The process of adding the surfactant during VHG fermentation is simple, which can reduce the consumption of water and energy, effectively reduce the fuel ethanol production cost, and improve the fermentation efficiency.