To explore the research hotspots and development trends in the field of mine ecological restoration, based on the literature data retrieved from Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), 692 English literatures and 298 Chinese literatures were visually analyzed using software including VOSviewer, CiteSpace and SCImago Graphica. The differences among various mine ecological restoration philosophies and key restoration technologies were also discussed. The results show that the number of publications in the field of mine ecological restoration shows an overall upward trend. Cooperation among countries is frequent, and a research network has been formed with China as the primary core and European and American countries such as the United States, Australia and Spain as the secondary cores. Cooperation among international high-yield institutions is close, while connections among domestic high-yield institutions are lacking. Research hotspots focus on coal mine restoration, phytoremediation technology, soil heavy metal remediation, microbial mechanism research, restoration effect evaluation, and carbon neutrality target practice. In the future, it is necessary to further study the restoration technologies of basic mine ecological units dominated by soil, microorganisms and plants, promote the application of emerging technologies such as UAV aerial mapping and machine learning in model construction and effect evaluation, and explore the path of mine ecological restoration under the carbon neutrality goal. Mine ecological restoration research is currently in a period of explosive development. China should combine macro-monitoring with micro-research, apply cutting-edge technologies, promote interdisciplinary integration and cross-field cooperation, and continuously improve the research system of mine ecological restoration in China.