“It must be great having a dad who’s such a good cook!” My kids hear this all the time, but they only halfheartedly agree. Sometimes I make stuff they love (taco night), sometimes I make stuff they hate (bean soups). Sometimes it’s a split decision, 2-1 against the lentil stew, with one fanatic opposed by two haters. But Instant Pot Chocolate Cheesecake? It’s a unanimous decision. (And an argument about who gets the last piece…but that’s another story.)
My Instant Pot is my magic cheesecake machine; cheesecake is easy as long as I have my pressure cooker, a 7-inch springform pan, and a bakeware sling.
Now, I know, cheesecake in a pressure cooker sounds weird. Try it anyhow – especially this one – because the pressure cooker makes a great cheesecake steamer. The only hard part is patience – the cheesecake needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least four hours after cooking. In my case, this meant a constant stream of questions: “Is it done yet? Can we try it now? What’s taking so looong?”
And, I don’t know why it took me so long to add chocolate; the tart cheesecake and sweet, bitter chocolate are an awesome combination. I get my chocolate from semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted in the microwave. You don’t have to use chips; semi-sweet baking chocolate is fine. But, we always have a bag of chocolate chips in the pantry, so thats what I cook with.
Join me in the Pressure Cooked Cheesecake Movement – your taste buds (and picky eaters) will thank you.
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Instant Pot Chocolate Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 pieces 1x
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Instant Pot Chocolate Cheesecake. This pressure cooker cheesecake is a chocolate lover’s dream.
Ingredients
Crust
- 3/4 cup Oreo cookie crumbs (12 cookies, crushed fine)
Cheesecake
- 1 pound regular cream cheese, softened (2 (8-ounce) packages)
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Topping (Optional)
- Whipped cream
- Sliced strawberries
Instructions
- Prepare the pan: Spray the 7-inch cheesecake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Crush the Oreos – I put them in a gallon zip-top bag and pound them with a rolling pin. Spread the Oreo crumbs evenly across the bottom of the pan and pack down, pushing the crumbs up the sides a little.
- Make the cheesecake filling: Soften the cream cheese by leaving it out at room temperature for at least 1 hour. (Or soften the cream cheese in the microwave, 30 seconds to 1 minute). Beat the cream cheese in an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Slowly add the sugar and beat on medium speed until the sugar is completely blended, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and beat on low speed until completely blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer again and scrape down the sides. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each on low speed until just blended. (Don’t over-beat the eggs.) Pour the batter into the prepared cheesecake pan.
- Pressure cook the cheesecake for 20 minutes with a natural pressure release: Put 2 cups of water and the cooking rack in the pressure cooker pot. If your rack does not have handles, make an aluminum foil sling to lift the cheesecake: fold a 2-foot long piece of aluminum foil over a few times, until it is a long strip about 4 inches wide. Center the cheesecake pan on the sling and carefully lower it into the pot, setting it on the rack. Lock the lid on the cooker and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes in an electric PC or 16 minutes in a stovetop PC, then let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any pressure left in the pot after 15 minutes.)
- Cool the cheesecake, then serve: Lift the cheesecake out of the pressure cooker. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides by running a paring knife around the edge of the pan. Cool the pan at room temperature for an hour, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Slice the cheesecake into 8 pieces, top each with a dollop of whipped cream and a strawberry slice, and serve.
Notes
- Don’t want to crush Oreos? Make a crust by mixing 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs with 2 tablespoons butter.
- I get questions about changing this recipe for different sized cookers and pans; I haven’t had time to test them yet. I’ve heard from readers that a 6-inch wide, 3-inch high cheesecake pan will work…but it might take a little extra cooking.
- Using an 8 Quart pressure cooker? I use this recipe as-is, with my 7-inch cheesecake pan in my 8-quart pressure cooker. It works great. Will it work with a larger pan in the larger cooker? In theory, yes, it should work if you increase the cooking time under pressure. But I have not tried it, so I don’t know how much time to add.
Tools
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
- 7-inch springform pan
- Baking sling (or aluminum foil to make a sling – see instructions)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cheesecake, Instant Pot Chocolate Cheesecake
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Key Lime Cheesecake
Instant Pot Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Pressure Cooker Strawberry Cheesecake
My other Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes
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I’ve made most of your cheesecake recipes. To help improve their resulting structure, I’ve begun adding a tablespoon of cornstarch during the beating of the cream cheese and sugar. It seems to work well and minimizes the chance that the top will crack during cooling.
Interesting – I’ll check that out.