The temperature field in 316L stainless steel subjected to laser cladding is analyzed by ANSYS software. Based on the three-dimensional physical model, a study is made to analyze the temperature field distribution, the variation of the temperature gradient of the nodes irradiated by the laser beam and the effect of different scanning paths of laser beam on temperature field in the laser cladding process. Results show that the temperature contours and the heat are intensive and concentrated respectively in the front of melt pool and the regions of the clad overlapping, where cracks are easy to form. In addition, the temperature gradients of the nodes irradiated by the laser beam in the short scanning path are lower than that in the long scanning path. Moreover, compared to the long scanning path, the short scanning path is more conducive to the combination of cladding layer and the substrate and the continuity of laser cladding.