Green water, or plant-available soil moisture, is a substantial subset of terrestrial fresh water. Land use change alters green water dynamics directly, by changing soil and vegetation properties, and indirectly, via feedbacks in the soil-vegetation-climate system. Ongoing global deforestation, and growing interest in reforestation projects, begs the question: Do such large-scale land use changes have major eco-hydrological impacts via the process of terrestrial moisture recycling (TMR)? This requires a systematic, mechanistic understanding of green water dynamics in relation to land use change, and the interactions with the soil-vegetation-climate system in which it is embedded. Hence, this literature review addresses the above question via a scoping review that draws from papers covering empirical observations and simulated approximations on the hydrological effects of land use change from different parts of the world. The results show that some regions are more vulnerable to land use change than others and can affect local as well as distant hydrology of landscapes. Furthermore, we derive analytical tools and directions for further research that can improve understanding of the effects of land use change on moisture recycling dynamics in order to minimize unexpected hydrological impacts for nature and society.