With the detection of ethanol by ethanol sensor, the effects of ethanol on cell growth and astaxanthin production by Phaffia rhodozyma JMU-MVP14 were investigated in shake flask. The results indicated that 1～2 g/L ethanol was conducive to astaxanthin accumulation in initial medium with 10 g/L or 20 g/L glucose, while high concentration of alcohol inhibited the cell growth and astaxanthin production of P. rhodozyma. When ethanol concentration was maintained at 2 g/L in initial medium with 10 g/L glucose, astaxanthin production was 50.1 mg/L, which increased by 20.3% compared with the control group. The yield of astaxanthin in a cell was 13.1 mg/g and the utilization rate of glucose was over 77.2%. The results demonstrated that the constant ethanol control strategy was conductive to astaxanthin accumulation in yeast cells. The maximum yield of astaxanthin was 55.3 mg/L under the optimized condition of 10 g/L initial glucose concentration, 2 g/L constant ethanol concentration and 5 g/L glucose supplemented per 24 h during the fermentation. And the yield of astaxanthin in a cell was 19.7 mg/g, which increased by 39.7% compared with the control group (14.1 mg/g).