Surface wettability is a specific feature of workpiece surface, where a water droplet is of the high tendency for adhering to or repelling the surface. This is generally referred to hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. Lasers have widely been used to create a particular micro-structure/texture on the work surface to introduce a desired contact angle of water droplet which is an indicator of wettability. To enhance a better understanding of laser texturing process toward the improvement of surface wettability, this study investigates the effects of major laser parameters on the contact angle of water droplet and morphology of laser-textured surface. AISI 316L stainless steel was used as a sample and its surface was modified by a nanosecond pulse laser. The results revealed that the laser-textured surface exhibited the hydrophilic and rough surface when using high laser power together with long laser-material. In addition, the point-patterned surface caused a larger contact angle than the line pattern while the largest contact angle was 96.734° which will happen whenever the laser power of 4 W and irradiating duration of 3.1 ms were applied. The relationships between the process parameters and surface characteristics presented in this study could be an essential guideline for controlling and improving the surface wettability by the laser texturing process.