A method for producing a ceramic honeycomb structure comprising the steps of: Extruding a moldable material comprising a ceramic material and a pore-forming material comprising hollow resin particles coated with inorganic powder to form a predetermined green body, and drying and sintering the green body; the moldable material comprising 4% or more and less than 8% by mass of the pore-forming material per 100% by mass of the ceramic material; the pore-forming material having a median diameter D50 of 25 to 35 μm, D 10 of 14 to 24 μm, wherein D10 is a particle diameter at a cumulative volume corresponding to 10% of the total volume, D90 of 45 to 60 μm, wherein D90 is a particle diameter at a cumulative volume corresponding to 90% of the total volume, and a particle diameter distribution deviation SD [=log(D80)-log(D20)] of 0.4 or less, wherein D20 represents a particle diameter at a cumulative volume corresponding to 20% of the total volume, D80 represents a particle diameter at a cumulative volume corresponding to 80% of the total volume, and D20<D80, in a curve of a cumulative volume, namely the cumulative volume of particles up to a particular diameter, to a particle diameter; the pore-forming material having the maximum compression recovery, Lmax, of 3.0 mm or more, and a compression recovery, L, in a compression stress range of 2 to 6 MPa, which is 80% or more of the maximum compression recovery, Lmax; and the compression recovery, L, being defined by the returning distance [in mm] of a piston having an outer diameter of 8 mm applying a predetermined compression stress to 0.3 g of a pore-forming material in a metal cylinder having an inner diameter of 8 mm and a depth of 100 mm, when the pore-forming material is relieved of the compression stress, the maximum compression recovery, Lmax, being the maximum of the compression recovery, L. Extruding a moldable material comprising a ceramic material and a pore-forming material comprising hollow resin particles coated with inorganic powder to form a predetermined green body, and drying and sintering the green body; the moldable material comprising 4% or more and less than 8% by mass of the pore-forming material per 100% by mass of the ceramic material; the pore-forming material having a median diameter D50 of 25 to 35 μm, D 10 of 14 to 24 μm, wherein D10 is a particle diameter at a cumulative volume corresponding to 10% of the total volume, D90 of 45 to 60 μm, wherein D90 is a particle diameter at a cumulative volume corresponding to 90% of the total volume, and a particle diameter distribution deviation SD [=log(D80)-log(D20)] of 0.4 or less, wherein D20 represents a particle diameter at a cumulative volume corresponding to 20% of the total volume, D80 represents a particle diameter at a cumulative volume corresponding to 80% of the total volume, and D20<D80, in a curve of a cumulative volume, namely the cumulative volume of particles up to a particular diameter, to a particle diameter; the pore-forming material having the maximum compression recovery, Lmax, of 3.0 mm or more, and a compression recovery, L, in a compression stress range of 2 to 6 MPa, which is 80% or more of the maximum compression recovery, Lmax; and the compression recovery, L, being defined by the returning distance [in mm] of a piston having an outer diameter of 8 mm applying a predetermined compression stress to 0.3 g of a pore-forming material in a metal cylinder having an inner diameter of 8 mm and a depth of 100 mm, when the pore-forming material is relieved of the compression stress, the maximum compression recovery, Lmax, being the maximum of the compression recovery, L. <EOS>