The development of metal nanoparticle chemistry in ionic liquids (ILs) media has had a paramount impact on various fields, including catalysis, energy research, nanotechnology and materials science, among many other directions. This review highlights various methods for producing metal nanoparticles in ILs, with particular focus on palladium, platinum, ruthenium, copper, nickel, cobalt, gold, silver, iron and alloys. The scope of methods includes chemical syntheses as well as electrochemical and physical approaches. Due to strong practical demand, a particular emphasis is placed on the catalytic activity of the obtained nanoparticles in a variety of reactions.