Objective To analyze the status and hotspots in research on enteral nutrition and to provide references for scientific research and clinical practice. Methods Literatures reporting enteral nutrition were searched in the Web of Science database from inception to April, 2018. Bibliometric analysis of the selected literatures was performed using the HistCite and coword analysis was conducted to explore the hotspots by employing the CiteSpace. Results A total of 5 952 literatures were retrieved, showing an increased trend in publications. The hotspots in research on enteral nutrition included active Crohn′s disease, blind placement, risk factor, feeding approach, early refeeding after surgery, and enteral management, etc. Conclusion Research on enteral nutrition is developing constantly. Nurses can conduct research on related factors of enteral feeding intolerance, individualized care in different feeding approaches, and prevention and management of complications in enteral nutrition, etc.