BackgroundThe relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been previously reported. Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) has better diagnostic performance than ultrasonography for assessing hepatic steatosis. The association of SUA with hepatic steatosis detected by CAP is worth further study.MethodsThe US population aged 20 years or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was assessed. Hepatic steatosis was evaluated by the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP). NAFLD status was defined as CAP values of 268 dB/m without hepatitis B or C virus infection or considerable alcohol consumption. Multiple imputations were performed to fill in the missing covariate values. Linear regression, logistic regression, and smooth curve fitting were used to examine the association.ResultsIn total, 3919 individuals participated in this study. There was a positive association between SUA (µmol/L) and CAP (β = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.12-0.17,P< 0.01). After stratification by sex, a significant relationship between SUA and CAP existed in both males (β = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.09-0.16,P< 0.01) and females (β = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.14-0.20,P< 0.01) after multiple imputation. The inflection points of the threshold effect of SUA on CAP were 487.7 µmol/L in males and 386.6 µmol/L in females. There was a positive association between SUA (mg/dL) and NAFLD (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.23-1.37,P< 0.01). After stratification by race, positive relationships were also observed. Meanwhile, a positive relationship existed between hyperuricemia and NAFLD (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.64-2.30,P< 0.01). The positive relationship was more significant in females than in males (Pfor interaction < 0.01).ConclusionsThere was a positive association between SUA and CAP, as well as between SUA and NAFLD. Subgroup studies stratified by sex and ethnicity demonstrated that the effects were consistent.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12944-023-01846-8.