This study investigates the effect of heat treatment on the characteristics and properties of Cold Spray Additive Manufactured 316L stainless steel employing traditional and a new Metal Knitting strategy. 316L feedstock powder characteristics, the geometry of the bulk, microstructure, porosity, microhardness, mechanical isotropy, and residual stress were analyzed in both strategies in as‐sprayed and heat‐treated conditions. Results show that the traditional deposition strategy produced higher mechanical resistance, while Metal Knitting presented a better part geometry accuracy. The heat treatment significantly improved the material strength and the quality of the parts by recovery and recrystallization phenomena. The same microhardness and planar isotropy were achieved after heat treatment of samples produced by both strategies. A discussion about the mechanisms, microstructural, and residual stress evolution is presented.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.