The handy trend of preparing food in mason jars really took off a few years with breakfast options (like overnight oats or chia pudding), and smoothies. Now the trend is shifting towards mason jar desserts – a fun and cute way to prepare and present sweet treats. They are usually quick and simple to prepare, easy to transport for picnics or dinner parties, and can often be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for later. Here are 23 creative mason jar dessert recipes – some of which are super healthy, and others that should be enjoyed in moderation!
Mini Chocolate Mason Jars With Cherry Jam – Let’s kick this blog off with one of the best dessert pairings – chocolate and cherries! This cute little dessert is perfect for an outdoor picnic or indulgent treat, but we have to be honest, this one is not actually guilt-free… We will get to those ones soon, we promise! The thing to remember with guilty desserts is to eat them occasionally, in moderation, and not to over-indulge!
Strawberry & Coconut Cream Oatmeal Parfaits – Now, these ones are very guilt-free – so much so that you could actually enjoy this dessert for breakfast! The recipe calls for oats, unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, strawberries, honey, vanilla, chia seeds and coconut flakes. That means you will get a nice fiber hit, protein, some healthy fats, and a decent dose of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in this mason jar dessert.
Gluten-Free Lemon Chia Seed Muffin Yogurt Parfaits – This recipe calls for a huge amount of ingredients, but once you have them all, it’s pretty easy to whip up! It’s basically layers of crumbled lemon chia seed muffins, yogurt and fresh fruits, which is super healthy, but super yummy as well. Ingredients include ground almonds, coconut flour, baking soda and powder, eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, chia seeds, Greek yogurt, nectarine, kiwi, goji berries and honey. Lots of fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants!
Easy Banana Bread In A Jar – We’re big fans of creative healthier banana bread at Bembu, and this clever mason jar version is a big hit. This recipe calls for bananas, Greek yogurt, butter, coconut sugar, gluten-free flour blend, egg, baking soda and powder, vanilla, lemon zest and cinnamon. You can play around with this if you are vegan and substitute the butter for olive oil or coconut oil and the egg for a chia egg.
Strawberry Peach Overnight Oats – This is another breakfast or dessert option that is delicious but healthy and easy to make. The only thing you need to be aware of is that these oats do need some time in the fridge, so you need to think about making them several hours before you want to enjoy them. They include rolled oats, almond milk (make sure you go for unsweetened), maple syrup, peaches, strawberries, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Key Lime Cheesecake & Raspberry Overnight Oats – This is a really indulgent, but healthy and nutrient-rich take on the classic breakfast trend of overnight oats. This dessert option calls for rolled oats, almond milk, Greek yogurt, honey, chia seeds, key lime cheesecake bars and raspberries.
Peach Breakfast Quinoa – This is technically a breakfast option, but is tasty enough to be a dessert! It is layered with peach quinoa and creamy chia pudding, making it full of essential nutrients, vegan-friendly and gluten-free.
Watermelon Cake – You can’t beat watermelon for summer, and this clever mason jar recipe turns watermelon into a dessert! Perfect for a picnic on a warm day, these mini cakes can be quickly whipped up in the morning or the night before. The recipe calls for butter, sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract, milk, food coloring (go for a natural option), and mini chocolate chips. You can substitute the sugar for maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar, and the butter for olive oil or coconut oil if you are vegan.
Berry & Lemon Shortcake – This summer-inspired shortcake is tasty and seasonal, using delicious seasonal produce. The recipe calls for almond flour, coconut flour and baking soda for the dry ingredients, eggs, lemons, maple syrup, coconut or nut milk, vanilla and coconut oil for the wet ingredients, and strawberries, blueberries, coconut milk and maple syrup for the topping.
Sous Vide Cherry Cheesecake – This is a rather decadent (but totally okay to enjoy occasionally, in moderation) dessert option that is incredibly easy to make, but looks super fancy! The recipe calls for cream cheese, sugar, cream, vanilla, eggs, graham cracker crumbs, fresh cherries and cornstarch. Presented in cute little mason jars gives them an added touch, and will help you avoid over-indulging!
No Bake Rhubarb Cheesecake – This is another indulgent option that doesn’t get too many points for nutrition, but if you are a fan of rhubarb, it is irresistible! The recipe calls for rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon, graham crackers, butter, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, vanilla and condensed milk. Again the mason jar helps you limit your serving size.
Lemon & Blueberry Tarts – These creamy tarts include no bake lemon cheesecake filling, graham cracker crust and fresh blueberries – quick, easy and beautifully presented. We love that they are served up in the mason jar lids – that will definitely ensure you savor your small serving and avoid over-indulging! The recipe calls for graham crackers, sugar, butter, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon curd, cream and blueberries.
Copycat Red Lobster Pumpkin Pie – These might sound like Halloween desserts, but you can definitely enjoy them any time of the year! However, again these are desserts that should be enjoyed in moderation, and you can substitute ingredients like sugar and cream if you’d like to make it a bit healthier, for maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar, and natural yogurt. You can also always reduce the amount of sugar in any homemade recipe. I often halve sugar when baking at home. The recipe calls for pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, cream, cream cheese, marshmallow cream, vanilla, graham crackers, butter and pecans.
Christmas Cookies In A Jar – This is a fantastic DIY gift idea that is cute and thoughtful. When made, they are crispy but chewy and nice and sweet. The gift includes the dry ingredients but the whole recipe includes eggs, or a vegan egg substitute like a chia egg, gluten-free flour, sugar, baking soda, arrowroot powder, dried cranberries, vanilla, almond extract, butter, or a vegan substitute like coconut or olive oil, and white chocolate chips.
No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake – One of the best dessert ingredient veggies is pumpkin. This vegetable was popular as a dessert base before it even became trendy to make healthy sweets. This recipe is not actually what you would call healthy, however, and should be enjoyed in moderation on special occasions! (It’s a great Halloween treat, for example). The recipe calls for butter (which can be substituted for olive oil if you’re vegan), sugar (which can be substituted for maple syrup), graham crackers, cinnamon, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, nutmeg, cloves, whipped topping and caramel sauce for a garnish (you can actually use honey instead if you’d rather!).
DIY Jarred Gift Chocolate Cherry Oat Scones – This is another great homemade gift option – ingredients nicely presented in a mason jar for people who love baking. The jar ingredients include flour, oats, baking powder, chopped cherries, sugar and chocolate chips. Additional ingredients when baking include butter, milk and an egg. If you are gifting this cookie mix jar to a health-conscious friend, you can substitute the sugar for dry stevia powder and halve the amount the recipe calls for. The milk can be substituted for nut milk and the butter can be substituted for olive oil or coconut oil.
Easy Apple Pie Parfait – This is a simple and fun treat that’s perfect for the holidays. It starts with a frozen pie and ends with whipped topping for the ultimate portable and sharable dessert. The recipe calls for frozen Dutch apple pie, walnuts, vanilla pudding, milk and whipped topping. Again, this is not a healthy option, but is okay in moderation.
Apple Crisp In A Jar – This cute and easy little apple dessert recipe calls for butter, apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, flour, sugar, panko crumbs and butter. Half the granny smith apples can be substituted for golden delicious apples, and if you do that, you can reduce the amount of sugar the recipe calls for, because the golden apples are sweeter than granny smiths.
No Bake Mason Jar Cheesecakes – With graham crackers, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, sugar, vanilla, cool whip and berries, this recipe is quick and easy to prepare. It doesn’t need to be baked and is easy to transport.
Pumpkin Yogurt Parfait – Now for an actual healthy pumpkin dessert recipe! This is made with natural ingredients, no refined sugar and has the added benefit of the vegetable, pumpkin. The recipe calls for pumpkin puree, Greek vanilla yogurt (but you can just use Greek yogurt and vanilla bean or vanilla extract), granola bar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and maple syrup.
Mason Jar Peach Crisp – This blogger shares her clever little portable dessert recipe that is perfect for taking when camping or boating. This pear crisp calls for peaches, tapioca starch, honey, ginger, lemon juice, oats, almonds, coconut sugar and butter. With all natural ingredients, it will leave you feeling clean and ready to explore if you are out on the ocean or in the forest!
No Bake Cherry & Chocolate Cheesecake Parfaits – Perfect for barbecues or dinner parties in the summer, these no bake tasty desserts are easily transportable and served in little jars. And you can never go wrong with the perfectly paired flavors of cherry and chocolate when enjoying an after dinner sweet treat! The recipe calls for chocolate wafers, butter, cream cheese, chocolate chips, vanilla, cream, sugar and cherry pie filling.
Loquat Cobbler Mini Mason Jars – So, if you don’t know what loquats are, they are stone fruits, and this handy little grab-and-go breakfast or tasty dessert treat can be made with any stone fruit you’d like! It’s basically a summer stone fruit crumble made in individual jar portions. The recipe calls for stone fruit of your choice, lime zest, ginger, whole wheat flour, oats, walnuts, coconut sugar, cinnamon and coconut oil.