Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are of great interest for cell-based therapies and tissue engineering approaches, as these cells are capable for extensive self-renewal and display a multilineage differentiation potential. Clinical application of these cells for degenerative and age-related diseases has been accumulating. However, preparation of MSC before the onset of the diseases, it needs to develop the cryopreservation method. Most cryopreservation methods include fetal bovine serum (FBS) which is essential for effective cryopreservation. Yet it should not be used clinically because of the potential risk of infection. In the present study, we investigated whether human serum albumin (HSA), human serum (HS), and knockout serum replacement (KSR) can be used as an alternative of FBS for cryopreservation of human adipose derived stem cells (hADSC). Cells cryopreserved with 9% HSA showed much higher viability after thawing compared with cells frozen with 5% or 1% HSA. Cells cryopreserved with 90% HS or KSR exhibited greater viability than cells frozen with 25% and 5% HS or KSR, respectively. Viability of cells frozen with 9% HSA, 90% HS or 90% KSR was comparable to that with 90% FBS. Morphology and proliferation ability of these cells were not affected by cryopreservation when compared the freshly obtained cells. Cryopreserved hADSC expressed transcription factor genes including Oct3/4, Nanog, Nestin and Sox2, which are related to the self-renewal of stem cells. Flow cytometric analyses showed that both fresh and cryopreserved hADSC were positive for the antigens of HLA-ABC, CD44, CD73, CD90, and CD105, CD166, and negative for HLA-DR, CD31, and CD34. Similar to fresh cells, cryopreserved hADSC could differentiate into mesodermal lineages, adipogenic, osteogenic, or chondrogenic cells. These results suggest that 9% HSA, 90% HS or 90% KSR can be used to replace FBS during successful cryopreservation of hADSC.