Provided is a method for manufacturing a steel sheet coated with a zinc-based coating layer with which it is possible to remove an oxide on the surface of a zinc-based coating layer through contact with an alkaline aqueous solution and with which it is possible to prevent a problem related to surface appearance due to precipitates generated in an alkaline aqueous solution. The method for manufacturing a steel sheet coated with a zinc-based coating layer of the first invention to solve the problems described above is a method for manufacturing a steel sheet coated with a zinc-based coating layer having a reaction layer on the surface of the steel sheet, the method including: the method including bringing the steel sheet coated with a zinc-based coating layer into contact for 1.0 second or more with an alkaline aqueous solution containing one or more chelating agents selected from among sodium gluconate, sodium glucoheptonate, sodium citrate, tartaric acid, arabonic acid, galactonic acid, sorbit, mannite, glycerin, EDTA, and sodium tripolyphosphate in a total amount of 0.050 mass% or more and having a pH of 10.0 or more as a pre-treatment before a formation of the reaction layer, and forming the reaction layer being an oxide layer containing a crystal-structured substance expressed by Zn 4 (SO 4 ) 1-x (CO 3 ) x (OH) 6 ·nH 2 O.