Instant Pot Cheesecake

Making cheesecake can be a little tricky unless you are making it in your Instant Pot!  🙂  You no longer need to worry about the water bath, the right cooking time, opening or closing the oven door, etc.  

This is my go-to recipe for making cheesecake in the Instant Pot.  I have tried several different variations and always go back to this basic recipe.  Something to note- there is NO CORN STARCH in this recipe.  Many of the very popular cheesecake recipes call for corn starch.  It's a personal preference of mine, but I do not add corn starch.  In my opinion, corn starch creates a gummy almost gel-like texture and I prefer a creamy and almost fluffy texture for my cheesecake.  

You will also notice that my cheesecake recipe is made in the blender instead of stirring by hand.  Why do you ask?  Because it's super easy and creates a very smooth texture without any cream cheese lumps.  Once I started putting cheesecake batter in the blender to mix it, I have not gone back!  You will need to tap the cheesecake on the counter (in the pan) several times- about 10- before and possibly after baking it so that you remove as much air as possible.  

Tips for making Instant Pot Cheesecake:

1.Leave cream cheese, butter, and eggs on the counter so that they are at room temperature when you begin to make your cheesecake.  If you use cold ingredients, your cheesecake will be lumpy.

2.Mix your ingredients in a blender and not a mixer.  I have always used a mixer and found that regardless of the temperature of the ingredients, I ended up with lumps.  Through trial and error, I have found that it is much, much, much easier to combine the ingredients in a blender.

3.Buy yourself some vanilla bean paste.  It's like vanilla extract but so much better!  It's a glorious combination of vanilla beans and vanilla extract.  It's the consistency of maple syrup and has all of the flavor and appearance (those little black dots) as you get when you use vanilla beans but without the steep price of buying vanilla beans.  I try to use it for everything because I just love it so much!  And no, I'm not sponsored by any vanilla bean paste companies.  I just really LOVE vanilla bean paste!

4.If your cheesecake blooms and overflows the pan while cooking, DON'T PANIC!!!  Simply tap the cheesecake (while still in the springform pan) on the counter before and after cooking.  The cheesecake will settle back into the pan and as it cools you will see it continue to settle.

5.If you don't have a silicone sling, you can use foil.  Simply cut a piece of foil 18 inches long and fold it so in half and then in half again.  You will end up with a piece of foil that is 18 inches long by 3 inches wide.  Place the foil on the counter and place the springform in the middle.  Carefully pick up the springform by holding the foil by the ends.  You have a homemade sling!

Looking for more Instant Pot recipes?  Check out some of our favorites!

• Instant Pot Carrot Cake Cheesecake
• Homemade Marshmallow Fluff
• Instant Pot Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping
• Instant Pot Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
• The Easiest Creme Brulee You will Ever Make

Ingredients for making Instant Pot Cheesecake:

Crust:

• 7 full graham crackers- If your graham crackers come boxed with 3 packages in the box, use one package minus 2 full crackers.
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¼ brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter- melted
• Pinch of salt

Cheesecake Filling:

• 24 ounce cream cheese- room temperature
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla-I highly recommend using vanilla bean paste!
• 3 eggs

Directions for making Instant Pot Cheesecake:

1.Make the crust! 

1. Combine all crust ingredients in a blender and blend until mixture becomes the consistency of damp sand.
2. Pour crust ingredients into a 7-inch springform pan.   Be sure to pat down the crust using a spatula or spoonula.   The crust should cover the entire bottom of the pan and about an inch of the side of the pan.  [one_third_last][/one_third_last]

2.Make the cheesecake filling:

1. Clean out your blender.  You're going to use it again.  🙂 
2. Combine all cheesecake filling ingredients in a blender and blend just until fully combined.  Do not over mix.  The more you mix the cheesecake filling, the more air that will get added.  The more air, the fluffier the cheesecake will be.  I was looking for a denser cheesecake so I made sure to only blend until combined.   
3. Pour all of the cheesecake mixture into a springform pan on top of the crust. Pan should be about ¾ of the way full.
4. Tap the filled pan several times on the counter to eliminate all of the extra air. Cover the entire pan with aluminum foil.  Be sure to cover the bottom and sides too. [one_third_last][/one_third_last]

3.Bake the cheesecake:

1. Place trivet into the pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water.
2. Place springform pan into your sling.  I use the OXO Good Grips Sling and it works perfectly.  If you don't have a sling, you can make one by folding strips of foil and cradling your pan in and out of the Instant Pot. 
3. Gently place sling into Instant Pot onto the trivet. Close Instant Pot lid and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Once the timer beeps, let pressure natural release for 25 minutes. Release remaining steam and open lid. 
4. Gently remove sling and cheesecake from the pressure cooker. Remove the foil. The center of the cheesecake will have a jiggly spot about the size of a half-dollar.  If more of the center is jiggly, pressure cook for an additional 5 minutes. If the cheesecake has blossomed, gently tap on the countertop several times to remove additional air.  
5. Using a knife, gently separate the cheesecake from the sides of the pan.  You just want to make sure that it doesn't stick once it's cooled. 
6. Cool on the counter for about an hour and then place in the refrigerator.  Cool cheesecake for at least 2 hours.
7. Remove cheesecake from pan and serve!

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