Additive manufacturing (AM) by electron beam powder bed fusion (E-PBF) is available for a growing number of metal alloys. So far, processing ceramic powders by E-PBF is problematic due to limited flowability, powder charging and beam instability. However, metal coating has recently been found to increase the processability of such powders. This work investigates the feasibility to create Al2O3 parts by electroless Ni coating and E-PBF. Resulting powder properties and morphology as well as melted powder was studied by microscopy, nanoindentation and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. By the suggested approach angular Al2O3 powder particles could be fully melted under the electron beam, although there is still development needed to attain a stable layer environment. The results disclose that coating can be a feasible method for increasing the processability of Al2O3 and how process settings affect residual metal elements after melting.