Land systems can be classified spatially as grain production space, ecological service space and urban-rural development space. Grain production space reconstruction concentrates the principal contradictions in land system changes. Exploring the process, pathways and influencing factors of grain production space reconstruction can coordinate the trade-off/synergy among grain production, ecological protection and economic development. Therefore, the reconstruction characteristics of grain production space in the Loess Plateau were systematically analyzed in terms of quantity, quality, and spatial pattern in this study. Results showed that although the quantity of grain production space in the Loess Plateau declined, the quality improved between 1980 and 2018. The grain production space in the Loess Plateau was increasingly fragmented and scattered, with more regular shapes in 2018 than 1980. Moreover, the center of gravity of grain production space moved 8.32 kilometers to the northwest; it moved more significantly to the northwest when considering the quality of grain production space. The reconstruction of grain production space in quantity, quality and spatial pattern was mainly realized through the pathways of Grain for Green, Urban Expansion, Deforestation and Reclamation as well as Land Consolidation; and the pathways of Grain for Green after 2000 was the principal pathway for grain production space reconstruction. The four reconstruction pathways of grain production space in the Loess Plateau were the result of a combination of natural environment and socio-economic factors, but driving factors had different strengths and directions for each reconstruction pathway. This study offered a comprehensive understanding of grain production space reconstruction, and provided a new research perspective for coordinating grain production, ecological protection and high-quality economic development.