Afforestation is a Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and has been considered as an active management of land degradation processes in Loess Plateau based on specific restoration measures. Excessive water consumption for carbon sequestration can result in an unsustainable forest ecosystem in water-limited areas. This study examined three ecological restoration patterns-natural secondary forests, artificial ecological forests, and artificial economic forests-and analyzed the trade-offs and benefits between soil water consumption and carbon sequestration at a depth of 4 m. In addition, this study focuses on the deep carbon-water relationship under different ecological restoration pattern. The results showed that natural secondary forests exhibited higher carbon sequestration and lower water consumption compared to plantations. At a 4-m soil depth, the soil water storage (SWS) of natural secondary forests was the highest (552.41 +/- 36.29 mm), significantly higher than that of artificial ecological forests (448.21 +/- 53.33 mm) and artificial economic forests (444.38 +/- 30.02 mm) (P < 0.05). Similarly, the soil organic carbon density (SOCD) of natural secondary forests was the highest (19.59 +/- 4.14 kg m(-2)), nearly double that of plantations. The deep layer (100-400 cm) SOCD across all ecological restoration patterns accounted for 43 % to 69 % (55.2 +/- 8.2 %) of the total profile, demonstrating substantial carbon sequestration potential. Moreover, the RMSD value of deep layer SWS and SOCD in natural secondary forest was significantly lower than that in plantations, indicating a more coordinated carbon-water relationship in natural secondary forests. Compared to pure artificial forests, mixed plantation forests enhanced carbon sequestration by 34.46 % to 122.47 % while maintaining soil water without excessive depletion. To promote large-scale NbS such as afforestation, natural secondary forests should be prioritized in vegetation restoration. In addition, the sustainable management of plantations (Adopting mixed measures) is an important strategy.