Highly-crystalline lanthanide (Ln3+ =Gd3+, Y3+ and La3+) doped and carbon encapsulated Li4Ti5O12 (designated as C-Ln-LTO) nanosheets as an anode material for sodium ion batteries (NIBs) are synthesized on large scale via a facile hydrothermal reaction followed by annealing treatment. When evaluated as an anode material for NIBs, the C-Ln-LTO nanosheets exhibit initial discharge specific capacity of 198mAhg−1 at 0.1C, enhanced rate capability of 141mAhg−1 at 2C and superior cyclic performance of 122mAhg−1 at 2C after 150 cycles. The superior rate capability and cyclic performance benefit from the synergistic effect of Ln3+ doping and carbon encapsulation, which promote electrode reaction kinetics and structural stability during Na+ insertion/extraction. Our results reveal the feasibility and universality that the combination of carbon encapsulation and Ln3+ doping improves electrochemical performance of LTO-based anode materials for rechargeable high-performance NIBs.