Outcomes are reported from a consensus-building Delphi exercise undertaken with leading academics, practitioners and policymakers from a broad range of disciplinary backgrounds to assess whether consensus on key principles could be achieved. The exercise identified 10 key principles for conducting research on ethnicity and health, covering the following areas: the aims of research in this field; how such research should be framed and focused; key design-related considerations; and the direction of future research. Participants expressed a common concern that the generation and application of research evidence should contribute to better healthcare experiences and health outcomes for minority ethnic people.