A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric element includes the steps of forming a first electrode above a substrate, forming above the first electrode a piezoelectric layer composed of a piezoelectric material having a perovskite structure, and forming a second electrode above the piezoelectric layer, wherein the step of forming the first electrode includes forming a lanthanum nickelate layer that is oriented to a cubic (100) by a sputter method, and a ratio of nickel to lanthanum (Ni/La) in a target used for the sputter method is greater than 1 but smaller than 1.5.