This study was aimed to fabricate a novel active edible coating with remarkable antioxidant and antimicrobial activity to ameliorate the beef shelf-life. For this purpose, the essential oil of Thymus vulgaris was firstly extracted by hydrodistillation method and its in-vitro antioxidant and antibacterial properties were then evaluated. The essential oil had a potentially high antioxidant activity and it was able to reduce the growth of bacteria Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The essential oil was then mixed with Plantago lanceolata seed mucilage to fabricate an active edible coating. The edible coating was used to coat beef and increase its shelf-life. The use of edible coating containing different concentration of essential oil significantly (p<0.05) inhibit the fat oxidation extent (primary and secondary products) and increase in total viable count, psychrotrophic bacteria, and coliforms in beef samples, and improved its shelf-life up to 6-day storage at refrigeration condition. In general, the T. vulgaris essential oil-loaded P. lanceolate seed mucilage-based edible coating could be used to control the lipid oxidation and microbial growth, as well as, to improve the shelf-life of meat products or other food products.