Catalytic dry (CO2) reforming of plastic-derived syngas is a promising method of producing hydrogen-rich syngas and reducing greenhouse gases. The development of catalysts with high activity and stability is critical for this reaction. In this study, we fabricated core-shell structured Ni@Al2O3 catalysts with different shell thicknesses using advanced polyol and sol-gel methods. The effects of different Al/Ni ratios on the activity and stability of the catalysts in the CO2 reforming reaction were investigated. The main challenge for CO2 reforming of methane is carbon deposition. In the developed catalysts, the mesoporous Al2O3 coating outside the Ni core enhances the stability. However, the interaction between the core and the shell strongly affects the catalyst activity and product selectivity in the reaction. The catalyst with an Al/Ni ratio of 2 exhibited the highest methane conversion of up to 88% and the lowest carbon deposition, compared to the congeners with Al/Ni ratios of 1 and 3. •The advanced material has been utilized in CO2 reforming of methane reaction.•Mesoporous Al2O3 shell prevented the active phase core from deactivation.•The core-shell catalyst exhibited great stability under high temperature conditions.