Disclosed is a method for preparing cross-linked hyaluronic acid-based cell scaffold material. The hyaluronic acid-based cell scaffold is obtained by subjecting a hyaluronic acid and a disulfide cross-linking agent to an amidation reaction, followed by dialysis-freeze drying. The cell scaffold has abundant pores, good mechanical strength which ensures that the scaffold does not rupture in transplantation, and good biocompatibility. The method is advantageous in that the raw material is easy to obtain, the reaction condition is moderate, and the process is simple. Cross-linked networks of the prepared hydrogel contain disulfide bonds, which can quickly split into single chains at the presence of small molecular glutathione. The hyaluronic acid-based cell scaffold has flexibly controllable mechanical property, disaggregation ability, and swelling property, and therefore has wide applications in facilitating cartilage injury repair, skin repair, cell culture, etc.