Branched Pd nanodendrites have been synthesized by a very simple method, which have displayed substantially enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity compared with that of commercial Pd/C catalysts. The Pd nanodendrites show 4.8 times more activity on the basis of an equivalent noble metal mass for the ORR than the commercial Pd/C catalysts. Moreover, the Pd nanodendrite catalysts also exhibit superior ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) activity, making them excellent candidates as high performance multifunctional catalysts for both ORR and EOR.