Marzetti Copy Cat – Grandpa Cooks

Copycat Marzetti-Style Slaw Dressing

A sweet, tangy, creamy dressing that tastes remarkably close to the bottled original — makes enough to dress one 14-oz bag of coleslaw mix.

8 servings

Ingredients

1 cups mayonnaise
0.3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons white or cider vinegar
1 tablespoons yellow or Dijon mustard
0.5 teaspoons celery seed
0.3 teaspoons onion powder
0.3 teaspoons salt
0.1 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons milk or buttermilk, to thin (optional)
1 bag of coleslaw mix (14 oz)

Steps

1. Dissolve the sugar: In a bowl, whisk together the 1 cups mayonnaise, 0.3 cups granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons white or cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoons yellow or Dijon mustard until the sugar is fully dissolved — this takes a minute or two of steady whisking.
2. Add the seasonings: Whisk in the 0.5 teaspoons celery seed, 0.3 teaspoons onion powder, 0.3 teaspoons salt, and 0.1 teaspoons black pepper.
3. Adjust consistency: If the dressing seems too thick, thin it with 1 tablespoons milk or buttermilk, to thin (optional) a little at a time until it’s pourable.
4. Chill to let flavors meld: Cover and refrigerate the dressing for at least 120 minutes before using — this is the step that really brings it in line with the bottled version.
5. Dress the slaw: Toss with the 1 bag of coleslaw mix (14 oz) just before serving. Add it gradually — the cabbage releases liquid as it sits, so it’ll look wetter after a few minutes than when you first mixed it.

Notes

Taste before serving — the sweet/tangy balance is where people tweak this most. Less sugar (some cut it to half) makes it less sweet; a bit more vinegar or a splash of lemon juice brightens it if it tastes flat. Regular mayo gives the closest texture; light mayo works but comes out slightly thinner. Keeps about a week refrigerated (store dressing and slaw separately — don’t dress the whole bag if you won’t eat it all right away).

That’s the classic copycat formula — mayo base, sugar, vinegar, and a touch of mustard, with celery seed doing most of the work getting the flavor right. A few notes on getting it close:

Celery seed is the make-or-break ingredient — it’s what people most often say nails the actual Marzetti flavor when they compare side-by-side with the jar.
Chilling matters more than it seems like it should — the flavor melds and rounds out noticeably after an hour or two versus using it right away.
Sweetness is the main variable people adjust — some find the classic ratio a little sweet and cut the sugar back by a third to half.

If you’ve had the Southern Style version (the cooked/boiled one with egg, sold in jars in the dressing aisle rather than the refrigerated section) and that’s the one you’re after instead, let me know — it’s a different recipe entirely.