Abstract Barrier, mechanical and thermal properties of porous paper substrates dip-coated with nanocellulose (NC) were studied. Sorbitol plasticizer was used to improve the toughness, and citric acid cross-linker to improve the moisture stability of the coatings. In general, the addition of sorbitol increased the barrier properties, maximum strength and toughness as well as the thermal stability of the samples when compared to the non-modified NC coatings. The barrier properties significantly improved, especially for plasticized NC coating’s, where the oxygen permeability value was as low as 0.7 mL μm day−1 m−2 kPa−1 at 49% RH and the water vapor permeability was reduced by 60%. Furthermore, we found that the cross-linked plasticized NC coating had a smoother surface (50% lower roughness) compared to non-modified ones. This study shows that the environmentally friendly additives sorbitol and citric acid had positive effects on NC coating properties, increasing its potential use in paper-based packaging applications.