Recent progress in application of nanomaterials for DNA detection, except for PCR systems, was reviewed. Nanomaterial-based (nanoparticles and nanowires/tubes) or nanofabrication-based DNA detection methods were introduced. Studies revealed that nanomaterial-based DNA detection methods offer several advantages over the traditional PCR technology in terms of orientation, visualization, and multiplexed detection. Especially, with regard to nanomaterial-based detection, methods using nanoparticles were studied most extensively, including colorimetrical detection, fluorescent detection, resonance light scattering detection, surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection, electrochemical detection, MALDI-TOF MS detection, and elemental analysis detection. For the nanofabrication-based DNA detection, four methods were presented: nanopatterning, nanoelectromechnical devices, nanopore, and microarray detection methods.