Velvety, rich and delicious, few desserts rule the table like cheesecake. It is a decadent dish appropriate for every occasion, and if by chance a guest refuses a slice, you will secretly be happy because that just means more for you.
But cooking it? Heating up your whole kitchen for an hour’s worth of cook time in your oven while constantly standing guard to make sure nothing goes awry is so tiresome. Solution? The Instant Pot!
If you’ve never used a countertop pressure cooker to make a cheesecake before, prepare to have a life-altering experience. A dessert like this caramel cheesecake comes out dense and creamy and bakes in half the time without heating up your kitchen or using up valuable oven space during holiday prep time — all to say that the pressure cooker is a fantastic appliance to use for this job year-round and not just for Christmas or Hanukkah. MORE: Pumpkin spice cheesecake with pecan caramel sauce
Most cheesecake recipes can be adapted easily for the Instant Pot or other electric pressure cookers, but this salted caramel cheesecake is a favorite. While the time under full pressure is only 35 minutes, expect the total cooking time to exceed more than an hour, once you account for the time it takes the cooker to come to pressure (20+ minutes) and natural release once the cooker starts to depressurize (also 20+ minutes).
Some tips to make the perfect Instant Pot cheesecake
Pre-baking the crust will make it crisper and crunchier than freezing. In order to avoid lumps in your batter, ensure that all of your ingredients are room temperature. Take the cream cheese, sour cream and eggs out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you plan to start. Mixing is key to a perfectly smooth cheesecake free of air bubbles and cracks. Do not overmix! Mix on low speed, and add the eggs in one at a time.
A springform pan or round cake pan with a removable bottom works best, and if you line both the bottom and the sides of the pan with parchment paper, you should be able to get that perfect, smooth look along the outside of your cake. The size pan you choose will depend on the size of your Instant Pot. An 8″ pan works well with the 8-quart, while a 6″ to 7″ pan is perfect for the 6-quart.
Wrap a sling made of foil around the pan to make removal easier. Fold a long piece of foil in at least thirds, lengthwise. Place the pan in the middle of the foil strip and pull up over either side. When placing the pan on the trivet in the inner liner, make sure the ends of the foil sling are sticking up over the sides.
Making a foil sling for the Instant Pot
When your cook time stated in the recipe completes, use a natural pressure release (NPR), then open the lid slowly. This will slow down the shift in temperature that occurs within the pot. A too-sudden temperature drop can cause the sides of the cheesecake to retract from the pan quickly, making it crack.
MORE: Eggnog brûlée cheesecake with gingerbread crust
After about four hours in the refrigerator, your cheesecake will firm up and be ready to dive into. Bon appétit!
Salted caramel cheesecake, cooked in an Instant Pot pressure cooker
The beautiful finished salted caramel cheesecake
2 votes Courses Desserts
28 graham crackers, crushed1/4 cup white sugar1/2 cup butter, melted16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature1/2 cup light brown sugar1/4 cup sour cream1 tablespoon flour1/2 teaspoon kosher salt1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla2 eggs
Topping:
1/2 cup caramel sauce1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
