Ecological and environmental issues are one of the hotspots in the world. Unreasonable human activities are the predominant reason leading to the continuous deterioration of ecosystems. In order to solve the increasingly serious ecological and environmental problems, ecological restoration has gradually been received attention. In China, ecological restoration is an effective measure to solve the ecological degradation problems, and it is also an important work to promote the construction of ecological civilization. It is of vital importance for the national ecological security. It also benefits to promote the sustainable development and the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. Ecological restoration research can provide insights for implementing ecological restoration projects. In recent years, ecological restoration research has been developed rapidly worldwide, especially for China. However, the research trend of ecological restoration in China is still unclear. A systematic analysis of the current status and trends of ecological restoration research in China is necessary for the evaluation of the ecological restoration. It can provide references and suggestions for future related research, meanwhile it is also essential to promote the healthy development of ecological restoration research in China. To systematically evaluate the current status of ecological restoration research in China, this study used the bibliometric analysis approach. The study applied the following evaluation indicators: article outputs, journal distributions, major research institutions, academic collaboration among authors, institutions and countries, as well as the research priority. The results show that the ecological restoration research has grown rapidly since 2012. China’s ecological restoration research has increased exponentially, but its international influence needs to be further strengthened. Our international collaborations have been widely established, and most of them were based on the biliteral cooperation between China and another foreign country. The collaboration from more than two institutions has gradually increased. Regarding the research priority, the studies related to biodiversity, ecosystem services and technologies of ecological restoration were paid more attention. An appropriate theory to effectively guide ecological restoration in China is also needed, e.g., the stepwise ecological restoration theory. Meanwhile, the studies simultaneously considering ecological restoration and socio-economic issues were insufficient. Spatially, the ecological restoration research was mostly implemented over the Loess Plateau, karst landforms, heavy metal polluted areas, rivers, lakes and wetlands. Further efforts are still needed for the studies in future on the biophysical process associated with ecological restoration, the implementation of ecological restoration at a larger spatial scale, the application of stepwise ecological restoration in practice, and the integration of ecological restoration with social and economic issues.