Jar Joy Dessert in a Jar

Last Updated on October 24, 2022

Cheesecake is a classic dessert, typically served in a round pie shape that is sliced into individual triangles for serving. Sometimes, cheesecake might be served in smaller portions as squares as part of a dessert spread. Or, in some cases, you can buy cheesecake in a jar. In 2020, Aldi began to occasionally stock Jar Joy Dessert in a Jar as a limited-time Aldi Find.

Jar Joy is not exclusive to Aldi. The company was founded in 2014 by husband and wife duo Shaun and Sarah Hunte. They developed the business in their home kitchen, then sold products from a food truck, and as their enterprise has grown, they now operate a facility in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando. They sell ready-to-eat, single-serving desserts in plastic jars in several flavors, although only two flavors are currently at Aldi: Death by Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake.

Jar Joy’s website indicates other flavors (not currently sold at Aldi) include Key Lime Pie, Cookies & Cream, Mississippi Mud Pie, Strawberry Shortcake, Peanut Butter Cup, Brownie Batter Sundae, The Brookie, Cookie Dough Comfort, Sarah’s Sugar Cookie, and Tiramisu. According to a Jar Joy spokesperson, the sugar cookie and tiramisu flavors will be on Aldi shelves during the holiday season this year.

Jar Joy’s website indicates that you will soon be able to order from them. They will ship the desserts frozen to you, and you must refrigerate them when they arrive. A Jar Joy spokesperson told Aldi Reviewer that they have plans to launch the online store in January of 2023, and they may have several additional new flavors at launch date, including some that may be sold exclusively online.

Jar Joy’s Facebook page shows that you can also find these desserts at certain limited Walmart stores and Sam’s Club stores. Jar Joy told Aldi Reviewer their products will soon be available at Albertsons as well.

But, as mentioned above, you can also sometimes purchase certain flavors at Aldi. I’ve spotted these desserts in Aldi quite a few times since they first appeared on store shelves in 2020, but my family had not yet tried them. I recently purchased a couple so we could finally see what they’re all about.

Death by Chocolate on the left, Raspberry Cheesecake on the right.

Jar Joy Dessert in a Jar costs $2.09 for a 3.7-ounce jar at Aldi at the time of publication. I find these in the Aldi Find freezer aisle at Aldi, although you’ll want to thaw them in the refrigerator before serving.

If you order via Jar Joy’s website once ordering is operational, it costs $35.80 for two boxes each containing six jars (a total of 12 jars, which comes out to nearly $3 per jar) or $67.60 for four boxes (a total of 24 jars, which comes out to about $2.82 per jar). Shipping is calculated at checkout, so there is that additional charge. So while the flavors are more limited at Aldi, these are definitely the better deal when purchased at Aldi.

These desserts are Aldi Finds, which means they’re only in stores for a limited time. Each store gets one shipment, and after that sells out, they’re gone until Aldi brings them back, whenever that might be. Aldi does not offer online ordering for products that are not in stock at your local store. That means if you want these cheesecakes and they aren’t in stock at Aldi, you’ll have to wait for Jar Joy’s online ordering to become available, or if you’re lucky you might find them at Walmart or Sam’s Club. The good news is that these can be frozen, so you can stock up when you find them at Aldi.

The primary ingredient for both flavors sold at Aldi is cream cheese. If allergens are a concern, both flavors at Aldi contain milk, soybeans, and wheat. They may be processed on the same equipment as items containing milk, eggs, soy, wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts.

Nutrition information. Death by Chocolate on the left, Raspberry Cheesecake on the right. (Click to enlarge.)

I did a double take when I saw that the chocolate dessert contains just 1 gram of added sugars while the raspberry one contains 5 grams of added sugars. That’s incredibly low for a dessert. These do contain a lot of natural sugars from the dairy ingredients, and they have their fair share of fat and saturated fat, which may help them to get away with less added sugar because the fat adds some flavor and sweetness.

Co-founder Shaun Hunte is quoted in Dairy Foods regarding that sugar content, saying:

We prefer desserts that are not too sweet. And one of the reasons that our products took off is that our customers appreciated that our products are sweet enough to bring out the flavors and feel like a treat, but do not contain too much sugar. We have found that the type of sweetness is also important. By using fruit and avoiding processed sugar, the taste is improved and the product is more healthful.

The Death by Chocolate dessert contains 340 calories per serving, with 24 mg of total fat (37% DV), 14 grams of saturated fat (39% DV), 28 grams of total carbohydrates (9% DV), 21 grams of total sugars, and 1 gram of added sugars (4% DV).

The Raspberry Cheesecake dessert contains 280 calories per serving, 15 mg of total fat (23% DV), 8 grams of saturated fat (39% DV), 33 grams of total carbohydrates (9% DV), 23 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of added sugars (10% DV).

Ingredients. Death by Chocolate on the left, Raspberry Cheesecake on the right. (Click to enlarge.)

The back of the jar states these should be consumed or frozen by the best-by date, but I couldn’t find a date on the jars. Since we ate them right away, it wasn’t a concern.

My husband and I shared these desserts and we both enjoyed them. Their consistency is a little softer than a traditional cheesecake, which makes them easy to eat with a spoon.

The Death by Chocolate flavor is not overly sweet, and I understood why after seeing the low added sugar content. Both of these dessert flavors contain sour cream, and I could detect a hint of that tang especially in the chocolate flavor. The chocolate dessert also has notes of semi-sweet, slightly bitter chocolate. The Raspberry Cheesecake flavor is sweeter with a nice raspberry jam component. The bottom of the Raspberry Cheesecake jar has of a thick layer of cookie crumbs similar to a cheesecake crust, and it seemed like there was a lot of that crumb layer and it had a drier texture compared to the chocolate cookie crumb bottom layer in the Death by Chocolate dessert.

Overall, these are solid, quality desserts. They feel indulgent in their single-serve jars, and you could probably buy a whole cheesecake that might have a lower cost per serving, but you’re also paying for the presentation and for some premium ingredients with these jars. Their small portable nature also makes these easy to pack in a lunch bag for a treat or to grab for a quick on-the-go snack.

The Verdict:

Jar Joy Dessert in a Jar is sold as a limited-time special at Aldi in two flavors: Death by Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake. These have plenty of fat but are low in added sugar and make nice well-portioned desserts you can eat right out of the jar. They can also be frozen if you don’t intend to eat them right away. If you like cheesecake, these are worth a try.