A ceramic heater includes a substrate (1) consisting of an aluminum nitride sintered body, and a heating element (2) and a feed electrode (3), mainly composed of silver or a silver alloy, formed on a surface of the substrate (1). The aluminum nitride sintered body contains a group IIa or IIIa element in the periodic table or a compound thereof and silicon or a silicon compound of 0.01 to 0.5 percent by weight in terms of the silicon element, and preferably further contains a group VIII transition element or a compound thereof by 0.01 to 1 percent by weight in terms of the element.