diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
index 8a9a63e..0638006 100644
--- a/composer.json
+++ b/composer.json
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
     },
     "extra": {
         "branch-alias": {
-            "dev-master": "1.0.x-dev"
+            "dev-master": "1.2.x-dev"
         },
         "installer-name": "components"
     },
diff --git a/src/SilbinaryWolf/ArrayListExportable.php b/src/SilbinaryWolf/ArrayListExportable.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e1ad15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/SilbinaryWolf/ArrayListExportable.php
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * Used in place of ArrayList when preparing nested arrays for export for SS templates.
+ *
+ * var_export calls '__set_state' on classes, so it produces code like:
+ *
+ *      ArrayList::__set_state(array('items' => [...]))
+ *
+ * And because ArrayList doens't implement '__set_state', executing the code throws errors.
+ * So we work around this by using an ArrayListExportable to produce:
+ *
+ *      ArrayListExportable::__set_state(array('items' => [...]))
+ *
+ * And implement '__set_state' to return a constructed ArrayList.
+ */
+class ArrayListExportable
+{
+    public function __construct($array = array())
+    {
+        // need to store items for var_export to recurse
+        $this->items = $array;
+    }
+
+    public static function __set_state ($array)
+    {
+        // when executed, we naruto-style body-replace with in an ArrayList
+        return new ArrayList($array['items']);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/SilbinaryWolf/Components/ComponentService.php b/src/SilbinaryWolf/Components/ComponentService.php
index c4f7b2a..1350634 100644
--- a/src/SilbinaryWolf/Components/ComponentService.php
+++ b/src/SilbinaryWolf/Components/ComponentService.php
@@ -90,7 +90,8 @@ public function generateTemplateCode(array $res, $parser)
                         }
                         foreach ($jsonData as $propertyName => $value) {
                             if (is_array($value)) {
-                                $value = 'new '.'ArrayList'.'('.var_export($value, true).')';
+                                // export valid template logic for nested data
+                                $value = self::exportNestedDataForTemplates($value);
                             }
                             $phpCodeValueParts[] = "\$_props['".$propertyName."'][] = ".$value.";";
                         }
@@ -185,6 +186,33 @@ public function generateTemplateCode(array $res, $parser)
         return $result;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Recursively replace nonassociative arrays with ArrayListExportable and
+     * output with 'var_export' to produce template logic for the nested data.
+     *
+     * @param array     $array      The nested data to export
+     * @param bool      $root       Ignore this
+     * @return string               Executable template logic
+     */
+    private static function exportNestedDataForTemplates(array $array, $root = true)
+    {
+        // depth first
+        foreach ($array as $prop => &$value) {
+            if (is_array($value)) {
+                $value = self::exportNestedDataForTemplates($value, false);
+            }
+        }
+        unset($value);
+
+        // json data expected to be keyed with ints, over the usual strings
+        if (isset($array[0])) {
+            // replace array with exportable array list
+            $array = new ArrayListExportable($array);
+        }
+
+        return $root ? var_export($array, true) : $array;
+    }
+
     /**
      * @return DBComponentField|SS_List|DataObject|ArrayData
      */
diff --git a/tests/ComponentTest.php b/tests/ComponentTest.php
index 48238de..2f6bb6d 100644
--- a/tests/ComponentTest.php
+++ b/tests/ComponentTest.php
@@ -528,6 +528,113 @@ public function testJSONPropertyErrorHandling()
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Test iterating nested arrays in templates
+     */
+    public function testJSONDeeplyNested()
+    {
+        $template = <<<SSTemplate
+<:JSONNestedTest
+    _json='{
+        "NestedData": [
+            {
+                "Title": "Item 1.1",
+                "Children": [
+                    {
+                        "Title": "Item 2.1"
+                    },
+                    {
+                        "Title": "Item 2.2"
+                    },
+                    {
+                        "Title": "item 2.3",
+                        "Children": [
+                            {
+                                "Title": "Item 3.1"
+                            },
+                            {
+                                "Title": "Item 3.2"
+                            }
+                        ]
+                    }
+                ]
+            },
+            {
+                "Title": "Item 1.2"
+            },
+            {
+                "Title": "Item 1.3",
+                "Children": [
+                    {
+                        "Title": "Item 2.4",
+                        "Children": [
+                            {
+                                "Title": "Item 3.3"
+                            },
+                            {
+                                "Title": "Item 3.4"
+                            }
+                        ]
+                    },
+                    {
+                        "Title": "Item 2.5"
+                    },
+                    {
+                        "Title": "item 2.6"
+                    }
+                ]
+            }
+        ]
+    }'
+/>
+SSTemplate;
+        $expectedHTML = <<<HTML
+    <h2>Item 1.1</h2>
+    <ul>
+    <li>
+        <h3>Item 2.1</h3>
+    </li>
+    <li>
+        <h3>Item 2.2</h3>
+    </li>
+    <li>
+        <h3>item 2.3</h3>
+        <ul>
+            <li>
+            <h4>Item 3.1</h4>
+            </li>
+            <li>
+            <h4>Item 3.2</h4>
+            </li>
+        </ul>
+    </li>
+    </ul>
+    <h2>Item 1.2</h2>
+    <h2>Item 1.3</h2>
+    <ul>
+    <li>
+        <h3>Item 2.4</h3>
+        <ul>
+            <li>
+            <h4>Item 3.3</h4>
+            </li>
+            <li>
+            <h4>Item 3.4</h4>
+            </li>
+        </ul>
+    </li>
+    <li>
+        <h3>Item 2.5</h3>
+    </li>
+    <li>
+        <h3>item 2.6</h3>
+    </li>
+    </ul>
+HTML;
+        $resultHTML = SSViewer::fromString($template)->process(null);
+        $this->assertEqualIgnoringWhitespace($expectedHTML, $resultHTML, 'Unexpected output');
+    }
+
     /**
      * Taken from "framework\tests\view\SSViewerTest.php"
      */
diff --git a/tests/templates/components/JSONNestedTest.ss b/tests/templates/components/JSONNestedTest.ss
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..37e3abb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/templates/components/JSONNestedTest.ss
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+<% if $NestedData %>
+  <% loop $NestedData %>
+    <h2>$Title</h2>
+    <% if $Children %>
+      <ul>
+      <% loop $Children %>
+        <li>
+          <h3>$Title</h3>
+          <% if $Children %>
+            <ul>
+            <% loop $Children %>
+              <li>
+                <h4>$Title</h4>
+              </li>
+            <% end_loop %>
+            </ul>
+          <% end_if %>
+        </li>
+      <% end_loop %>
+      </ul>
+    <% end_if %>
+  <% end_loop %>
+<% end_if %>
\ No newline at end of file