Abstract: The exhaustion of fossil fuels and the serious environmental problems lead to the continued concerning on the ethanol production.Jerusalem artichoke,as non-food grain crop,is suitable for ethanol production because of its high inulin content and excellent ecological adaptability. However,ethanol-producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae could not directly assimilate inulin into ethanol due to lacking inulinase,which delays its application in the industrial production of inulin-based ethanol.This review summarized the advance in studying ethanol production from inulin using fermentation engineering and genetic engineering approaches,as well as the key role of inulinase for ethanol production by S. cerevisiae. A comprehensive strategy based on both omics data mining and yeast surface display technology was discussed for the rational construction of S. cerevisiae producing ethanol from inulin.