Instant Pot Cheesecake

This Instant Pot Cheesecake is the perfect summer dessert because you don’t have to turn on your oven. It comes out moist, creamy and it takes a fraction of the time to make compared to traditional cheesecake in the oven.

Of course, you could make this recipe in the oven as well, the batter works just as well in the traditional cooking method, however I highly recommend the instant pot for this dessert.

Ingredients

For this recipe I used a combination of cream cheese, sour cream and heavy cream. I like the addition of the heavy cream because it creates a smoother texture and reduces some of the tang that you get with sour cream. With that being said, if you prefer a more tangy cheesecake you can use sour cream only.

The rest of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry and fridge as they are household staples. Use a good quality vanilla extract, fresh eggs and your favorite graham cracker for the base.

Tips for a smooth cheesecake

Cheesecake is all about texture! Nothing like a creamy, silky-smooth piece of cheesecake that hits your palate with that soft touch.

The trick to achieving that smooth bite is in the temperature of your ingredients. to avoid a lumpy cheesecake batter, your cream cheese needs to be at room temperature. Depending on where you live, it can take 1 to 2 hours for your cream cheese to be at room temp, so plan ahead.

The next trick to getting the best cheesecake texture is to beat your batter well after each ingredient addition. You need to create air in your batter to make it fluffy and smooth. When you add the sugar make sure to beat the mix for about 4 minutes.

Lastly, when adding your eggs, do so one at a time and beat the batter for one minute before adding the other egg.

Cheesecake in the Instant Pot

The reason why cheesecake works wonderfully in the instant pot is because of the moisture that the pressure cooker creates, the oven can’t do that without a Bain Marie (water bath).

Besides that, when you make cheesecake in the oven, you are using a larger appliance and using more electricity and heating up your home. That’s not an option in Arizona in the summer!

One important tip to keep in mind is to allow your pressure cooker to release the steam on its own. Let the pot do a natural release of the pressure and do not use the quick release, this will prevent spills inside your pressure cooker.

Use some non stick spray in your springform pan to make sure your cheesecake releases easily.

How to prevent the cheesecake top from cracking

When making cheesecake it is usual that the top crackles. This happens due to changes in temperature.

Your cheesecake needs to completely cool down before you put it in the fridge to avoid the drastic temperature change.

You can always smooth out any cracks with your topping. If you use a jam, jelly, ganache, etc. nobody will see the little imperfections on your cheesecake.

What’s the ultimate cheesecake topping?

It all comes down to personal preference but undeniably, strawberry jam is a classic. The best kind is the homemade with fresh strawberries, sugar and a little bit of cornstarch to thicken it up.

Blueberry jam, Nutella, cookie butter, peanut butter are also great ways to add a spin to your classic cheesecake. Stay tuned for these flavors to come to the blog soon as I will keep experimenting with my cheesecake recipe.

What is the best crust for cheesecake?

I love a traditional graham cracker crust but cheesecake is very versatile.

You can use any of these and you won’t go wrong:

• Oreo crust: This one is my second favorite. Chocolate and cheesecake? Sign me up!
• Digestive/Biscoff: these type of crackers are very popular in Europe, they are similar to a Graham cracker but have a deeper color and unique flavor.
• Sponge cake: If you have tried Junior’s cheesecake, you know this one is a great alternative.
• Graham crackers/nuts: Another great combination is to add nuts to your graham crackers crumb. It gives it an extra nutty flavor and texture.