Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is currently the top global cause of death, yet research into new therapies is in decline. Tissue engineering is a solution to this crisis enabling the development of biomaterials which facilitate more dynamic and complex in vitro models. A material that has drawn attention are carbon nanotubes (CNTs). CNTs’ electrical conductivity and dimensional similarity to cardiac extracellular proteins provides a unique opportunity to deliver scaffolds with stimuli that mimic the native cardiac microenvironment in vitro more effectively. This systematic review aims to evaluate the use and efficacy of CNTs for cardiac tissue scaffolds and was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Methods: Three databases were searched: PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Papers resulting from these searches were then subjected to analysis against pre-determined exclusion, inclusion and quality appraisal criteria. From 249 results, 27 manuscripts met the criteria and were included in this review. Results: Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were most commonly used in experiments (74%), with multi-walled CNTs being most common in tissue scaffolds (74%). Immunofluorescence was the experimental technique most frequently used (78%), employed for staining of cardiac-specific proteins relating to contractile and electrophysiological function. Few papers considered using electrophysiological techniques (22%), such as whole cell patch clamping, indicating a gap in the research landscape for the development of CNT-based scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering. Conclusions: CNTs displayed versatility as a biomaterial for cardiac tissue engineering through applications in a diverse range of scaffold designs and formulations. Limited toxic effects were observed for all papers retrieved in this review and the revolutionary effects brought about solely by the CNTs warrant continued effort in seeking their optimal use. CNT scaffolds could most successfully be applied in reliable models for cardiac pathologies and testing novel pharmaceuticals – thus reducing dependency on animal models and clinical trials, but also reinvigorating research in this struggling but enormously important field.