The purpose of this work is to improve the cytocompatibility and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloy in the hope of preparing a biodegradable medical material. The aminated hydroxyethyl cellulose-induced biomimetic hydroxyapatite coating was successfully prepared on AZ31 magnesium alloy surface with a sol-gel spin coating method and biomimetic mineralization. Potentiodynamic polarization tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that the hydroxyapatite/aminated hydroxyethyl cellulose (HA/AHEC) coating can greatly improve the corrosion resistance of AZ31 magnesium alloy and reduce the degradation speed in simulated body fluid (SBF). The MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium bromide] method and cell morphology observation results showed that the HA/AHEC coating on AZ31 magnesium alloy has excellent cytocompatibility and biological activity.