[Figure not available: see fulltext.] In recent years, metallic nanoparticles have been a constant subject of attention for researchers. The transition of metal from microparticles to nanoparticles leads to a substantial change in its physical and chemical properties. Nanoparticles as catalyst in organic reactions provide additional benefits such as catalyst recycling, scale-up of reactions using continuous flow processes, and easy purification of the reaction mixture offering green and cost-effective alternatives. This review highlights some of the significant gold and silver nanoparticle-catalyzed reactions for the synthesis of various heterocyclic compounds. A brief synthetic methodology for different heterocyclic compounds is discussed along with the scope of the reaction. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.