Hydrogels are attracting widespread attention due to their unique mechanical flexibility, which holds great promise for application in various fields. However, the high water-richness of hydrogels make them inevitably freeze at sub-zero temperatures conditions and severely limit the range of applications. Herein, we presented a novel anti-freezing strategy based on betaine/CaCl2 and CNCs as both reinforcing agent and physical cross-linking agent to achieve the simultaneous upgrading of anti-freezing and mechanical properties of hydrogels. Under the synergistic effect of betaine and CaCl2, the GA/PAA-CNC/betaine/CaCl2 hydrogels maintained exceptional fracture toughness (1.5 MPa) and tensile properties (1000%) even at − 30 °C. This work offers a neoteric antifreeze strategy to design self-healing, high intensity and anti-freezing arabic gum hydrogels.