Provided is a silicon carbide epitaxial wafer, the entire surface of which is free of step bunching. Also provided is a method for manufacturing said silicon carbide epitaxial wafer. The provided method for manufacturing a silicon carbide semiconductor device includes: a step wherein a 4H—SiC single-crystal substrate having an off-axis angle of 5° or less is polished until the lattice disorder layer on the surface of the substrate is 3 nm or less; a step wherein, in a hydrogen atmosphere, the polished substrate is brought to a temperature between 1400° C. and 1600° C. and the surface of the substrate is cleaned; a step wherein silicon carbide is epitaxially grown on the surface of the cleaned substrate as the amounts of SiH4 gas and C3H8 gas considered necessary for epitaxially growing silicon carbide are supplied simultaneously at a carbon-to-silicon concentration ratio between 0.7 and 1.2 to 1; and a step wherein the supply of SiH4 gas and the supply of C3H8 gas are cut off simultaneously, the substrate temperature is maintained until the SiH4 gas and the C3H8 gas are evacuated, and then the temperature is decreased.