The realization of adsorbents for highly efficient arsenic (As) removal from water is of very importance but challenging in the water treatment. Herein, we synthesized urchin-like iron-cerium oxides (UICO) via a simple and green one-pot method without template. The As(V) adsorption kinetics and isotherm reveal that UICO can effectively remove the 92 % of arsenate (As(V)) within 30 min under the As(V) initial concentration of 10 mg/L, and exhibits a high maximum As(V) adsorption capacity of 158.35 mg/g, which is superior to that of most reported Fe/Ce-based inorganic adsorbents. Moreover, As(V) adsorption mechanism study reveals that the As(V) adsorption involves ion-exchange between As(V) in water and the hydroxyl groups of UICO. The UICO has good potential as an environmental functional material to efficiently remove As(V) from water in practical applications.