The Yellow River Basin is an important energy supply base in China. Systematic characterization of the energy security level in the Yellow River Basin is of great significance for ensuring energy supply, improving energy efficiency, promoting green energy consumption, and enhancing economic resilience. An energy security indicator system was constructed from the perspectives of supply security, consumption security, green security and economic security. The entropy method was used to measure the energy security levels of eight provinces in the Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2021. Based on this, methods such as kernel density estimation, Dagum Gini coefficient and spatial Moran index were used to measure the dynamic evolution, regional differences and spatial correlation of energy security levels in the Yellow River Basin. The results show that during the research period, the overall energy security level in the Yellow River Basin show an upward trend, with Shanxi Province and its middle reaches having the highest overall energy security level. The degree of differentiation in the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin is significant, with significant differences in the middle and lower reaches between regions. However, the phenomenon of energy security imbalance is gradually weakening. The energy security in the Yellow River Basin shows a spatial positive correlation, with uneven distribution among provinces. The middle reaches mainly exhibit a “high high” clustering state, while the remaining provinces mainly exhibit a “low high” and “low low” clustering state. Finally, suggestions are proposed in terms of leveraging regional advantages, developing clean energy and diversifying energy import channels.