diff --git a/docs/en/api/options.md b/docs/en/api/options.md
index d93a0ee2b..67739ca07 100644
--- a/docs/en/api/options.md
+++ b/docs/en/api/options.md
@@ -64,22 +64,10 @@ expect(wrapper.find('div')).toBe(true)
 #### Passing text
 
 You can pass text to `slots`.  
-There are two limitations to this.
+There is a limitation to this.
 
-This works with Vue 2.2+.
-
-This works for the text below.
-
-```js
-const wrapper = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: 'foobar' }})
-```
-
-This does not work for the text below.
-
-```js
-const wrapper1 = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: 'foo<span>bar</span>' }})
-const wrapper2 = mount(FooComponent, { slots: { default: 'foo {{ bar }}' }})
-```
+This does not support PhantomJS.  
+Please use [Puppeteer](https://github.com/karma-runner/karma-chrome-launcher#headless-chromium-with-puppeteer).
 
 ### `stubs`
 
diff --git a/src/lib/add-slots.js b/src/lib/add-slots.js
index 536b8de02..d0583d640 100644
--- a/src/lib/add-slots.js
+++ b/src/lib/add-slots.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 // @flow
 
-import Vue from 'vue'
 import { compileToFunctions } from 'vue-template-compiler'
 import { throwError } from './util'
 
@@ -10,27 +9,40 @@ function isValidSlot (slot: any): boolean {
 
 function addSlotToVm (vm: Component, slotName: string, slotValue: Component | string | Array<Component> | Array<string>): void {
   let elem
-  const vueVersion = Number(`${Vue.version.split('.')[0]}.${Vue.version.split('.')[1]}`)
   if (typeof slotValue === 'string') {
     if (!compileToFunctions) {
       throwError('vueTemplateCompiler is undefined, you must pass components explicitly if vue-template-compiler is undefined')
     }
-    if (slotValue.trim()[0] === '<') {
+    if (window.navigator.userAgent.match(/PhantomJS/i)) {
+      throwError('option.slots does not support strings in PhantomJS. Please use Puppeteer, or pass a component')
+    }
+    const domParser = new window.DOMParser()
+    const document = domParser.parseFromString(slotValue, 'text/html')
+    const _slotValue = slotValue.trim()
+    if (_slotValue[0] === '<' && _slotValue[_slotValue.length - 1] === '>' && document.body.childElementCount === 1) {
       elem = vm.$createElement(compileToFunctions(slotValue))
     } else {
-      if (vueVersion >= 2.2) {
-        elem = vm._v(slotValue)
-      } else {
-        throwError('vue-test-utils support for passing text to slots at vue@2.2+')
-      }
+      const compiledResult = compileToFunctions(`<div>${slotValue}{{ }}</div>`)
+      const _staticRenderFns = vm._renderProxy.$options.staticRenderFns
+      vm._renderProxy.$options.staticRenderFns = compiledResult.staticRenderFns
+      elem = compiledResult.render.call(vm._renderProxy, vm.$createElement).children
+      vm._renderProxy.$options.staticRenderFns = _staticRenderFns
     }
   } else {
     elem = vm.$createElement(slotValue)
   }
-  if (Array.isArray(vm.$slots[slotName])) {
-    vm.$slots[slotName].push(elem)
+  if (Array.isArray(elem)) {
+    if (Array.isArray(vm.$slots[slotName])) {
+      vm.$slots[slotName] = [...vm.$slots[slotName], ...elem]
+    } else {
+      vm.$slots[slotName] = [...elem]
+    }
   } else {
-    vm.$slots[slotName] = [elem]
+    if (Array.isArray(vm.$slots[slotName])) {
+      vm.$slots[slotName].push(elem)
+    } else {
+      vm.$slots[slotName] = [elem]
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/lib/create-instance.js b/src/lib/create-instance.js
index 993b7b921..03a316424 100644
--- a/src/lib/create-instance.js
+++ b/src/lib/create-instance.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import createLocalVue from '../create-local-vue'
 import extractOptions from '../options/extract-options'
 import deleteMountingOptions from '../options/delete-mounting-options'
 import createFunctionalComponent from './create-functional-component'
+import cloneDeep from 'lodash/cloneDeep'
 
 export default function createConstructor (
   component: Component,
@@ -58,6 +59,9 @@ export default function createConstructor (
   addAttrs(vm, mountingOptions.attrs)
   addListeners(vm, mountingOptions.listeners)
 
+  vm.$_mountingOptionsSlots = mountingOptions.slots
+  vm.$_originalSlots = cloneDeep(vm.$slots)
+
   if (mountingOptions.slots) {
     addSlots(vm, mountingOptions.slots)
   }
diff --git a/src/wrappers/vue-wrapper.js b/src/wrappers/vue-wrapper.js
index 8e853bf4b..7c7b14af5 100644
--- a/src/wrappers/vue-wrapper.js
+++ b/src/wrappers/vue-wrapper.js
@@ -1,9 +1,19 @@
 // @flow
 
 import Wrapper from './wrapper'
+import addSlots from '../lib/add-slots'
+import cloneDeep from 'lodash/cloneDeep'
 
 function update () {
-  this._update(this._render())
+  // the only component made by mount()
+  if (this.$_originalSlots) {
+    this.$slots = cloneDeep(this.$_originalSlots)
+  }
+  if (this.$_mountingOptionsSlots) {
+    addSlots(this, this.$_mountingOptionsSlots)
+  }
+  const vnodes = this._render()
+  this._update(vnodes)
   this.$children.forEach(child => update.call(child))
 }
 
diff --git a/test/resources/components/component-with-slots.vue b/test/resources/components/component-with-slots.vue
index c2134d3a3..ec2585bd0 100644
--- a/test/resources/components/component-with-slots.vue
+++ b/test/resources/components/component-with-slots.vue
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <template>
-  <div class="container">
+  <div class="container" @keydown="change">
     <header>
       <slot name="header"></slot>
     </header>
@@ -14,6 +14,16 @@
 
 <script>
   export default {
-    name: 'component-with-slots'
+    name: 'component-with-slots',
+    data () {
+      return {
+        'foo': 'bar'
+      }
+    },
+    methods: {
+      change () {
+        this.foo = 'BAR'
+      }
+    }
   }
 </script>
diff --git a/test/unit/specs/mount/options/slots.spec.js b/test/unit/specs/mount/options/slots.spec.js
index 73191f2a1..bf4199a87 100644
--- a/test/unit/specs/mount/options/slots.spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/specs/mount/options/slots.spec.js
@@ -2,9 +2,20 @@ import { compileToFunctions } from 'vue-template-compiler'
 import { mount } from '~vue-test-utils'
 import Component from '~resources/components/component.vue'
 import ComponentWithSlots from '~resources/components/component-with-slots.vue'
-import { vueVersion } from '~resources/test-utils'
 
 describe('mount.slots', () => {
+  let _window
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    _window = window
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    if (!window.navigator.userAgent.match(/Chrome/i)) {
+      window = _window // eslint-disable-line no-native-reassign
+    }
+  })
+
   it('mounts component with default slot if passed component in slot object', () => {
     const wrapper = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: Component }})
     expect(wrapper.contains(Component)).to.equal(true)
@@ -26,15 +37,33 @@ describe('mount.slots', () => {
     expect(wrapper.contains('span')).to.equal(true)
   })
 
-  it('mounts component with default slot if passed string in slot object', () => {
-    if (vueVersion >= 2.2) {
-      const wrapper = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: 'foo' }})
-      expect(wrapper.find('main').text()).to.equal('foo')
-    } else {
-      const message = '[vue-test-utils]: vue-test-utils support for passing text to slots at vue@2.2+'
-      const fn = () => mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: 'foo' }})
-      expect(fn).to.throw().with.property('message', message)
+  it('throws error if the UserAgent is PhantomJS when passed string is in slot object', () => {
+    if (window.navigator.userAgent.match(/Chrome/i)) {
+      return
     }
+    window = { navigator: { userAgent: 'PhantomJS' }} // eslint-disable-line no-native-reassign
+    const message = '[vue-test-utils]: option.slots does not support strings in PhantomJS. Please use Puppeteer, or pass a component'
+    const fn = () => mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: 'foo' }})
+    expect(fn).to.throw().with.property('message', message)
+  })
+
+  it('mounts component with default slot if passed string in slot object', () => {
+    const wrapper1 = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: 'foo<span>123</span>{{ foo }}' }})
+    expect(wrapper1.find('main').html()).to.equal('<main>foo<span>123</span>bar</main>')
+    const wrapper2 = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: '<p>1</p>{{ foo }}2' }})
+    expect(wrapper2.find('main').html()).to.equal('<main><p>1</p>bar2</main>')
+    const wrapper3 = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: '<p>1</p>{{ foo }}<p>2</p>' }})
+    expect(wrapper3.find('main').html()).to.equal('<main><p>1</p>bar<p>2</p></main>')
+    const wrapper4 = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: '123' }})
+    expect(wrapper4.find('main').html()).to.equal('<main>123</main>')
+    const wrapper5 = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: '1{{ foo }}2' }})
+    expect(wrapper5.find('main').html()).to.equal('<main>1bar2</main>')
+    wrapper5.trigger('keydown')
+    expect(wrapper5.find('main').html()).to.equal('<main>1BAR2</main>')
+    const wrapper6 = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: '<p>1</p><p>2</p>' }})
+    expect(wrapper6.find('main').html()).to.equal('<main><p>1</p><p>2</p></main>')
+    const wrapper7 = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: '1<p>2</p>3' }})
+    expect(wrapper7.find('main').html()).to.equal('<main>1<p>2</p>3</main>')
   })
 
   it('throws error if passed string in default slot object and vue-template-compiler is undefined', () => {
@@ -59,14 +88,8 @@ describe('mount.slots', () => {
   })
 
   it('mounts component with default slot if passed string in slot text array object', () => {
-    if (vueVersion >= 2.2) {
-      const wrapper = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: ['foo', 'bar'] }})
-      expect(wrapper.find('main').text()).to.equal('foobar')
-    } else {
-      const message = '[vue-test-utils]: vue-test-utils support for passing text to slots at vue@2.2+'
-      const fn = () => mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: ['foo', 'bar'] }})
-      expect(fn).to.throw().with.property('message', message)
-    }
+    const wrapper = mount(ComponentWithSlots, { slots: { default: ['{{ foo }}<span>1</span>', 'bar'] }})
+    expect(wrapper.find('main').html()).to.equal('<main>bar<span>1</span>bar</main>')
   })
 
   it('throws error if passed string in default slot array vue-template-compiler is undefined', () => {