Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake. Sweet and tart, and easy when you use a pressure cooker.
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Cheesecake is all about balancing contrasts. Sure, you can make a regular cake, all sugar and sweetness. I’d rather have cheesecake, its rich, sour cream cheese balancing the sweet. And, what if I include the acidity of lemon on top of that in my Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake?
What’s that? Lots of cheesecake recipes have lemon juice in them? I knew that. Why do you think I didn’t know that? I’m moving it from bit player to the starring role, with its tart citrus flavor as the key to this recipe.
I make all my cheesecakes in my Instant Pot. I’m not much of a baker, but pressure cooker cheesecakes are my standby, ready to go whenever I need to bring a dessert. The key to this recipe is a 7-inch springform pan, to put on the rack that came with your pressure cooker. (Or you can get this fantastic silicone baking sling from Oxo, designed for pressure cooker cheesecake. If you pressure cook as many cheesecakes as I do, spring for the sling. You won’t regret it.)
Inspired by: https://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipe/051354/philadelphia-3-step-luscious-lemon-cheesecake
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Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 pieces 1x
Description
Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake. Sweet, tart, and sour, this pressure cooker cheesecake is a fantastic dessert to make in the Instant Pot (or any other pressure cooker).
Ingredients
Crust
- ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Cheesecake
- 1 pound regular cream cheese, softened (2 (8-ounce) packages)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon minced lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon)
- 2 large eggs
Topping (optional)
- Whipped topping
- Curls of lemon zest (to garnish)
Instructions
- Prepare the pan: Spray a 7-inch cheesecake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, then spread 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 vanilla, sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest, 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 filling into the prepared cheesecake pan.
- Pressure cook the cheesecake for 20 minutes with a natural pressure release: Put the cooking rack in the pressure cooker pot, then pour in 2 cups of water. 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 20 minutes.)
- Cool the cheesecake, top with whipped topping, garnish, and serve: Lift the cheesecake out of the pressure cooker. Loosen the cheesecake 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. Top with whipped topping and twists of lemon peel as a garnish.
Notes
I don't cover my cheesecake with foil while cooking. I used to, but I stopped when I realized how much it slows down cooking. (The center would never set.) I use a paper towel to dab at any water on top of the cheesecake after cooking.
Tools
6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
7-inch springform pan
Steam rack - I love this silicone baking sling by Oxo, or use the rack that came with your pressure cooker
Aluminum foil to make a sling (if you don’t have a rack with handles)
Citrus juicer (I use this lever-action, lemon yellow juicer for both limes and lemons.)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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- My other Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes
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jamie says
hey i’d love to make this but i only have a 3 quart mini instant pot.. do you think i would need to change cooking times? thanks!
Mike Vrobel says
It works the same - but you need to find a 6-inch diameter cheesecake/springform pan to fit in the smaller pot.
Joni says
Beautiful recipe!! For myself, I like the appearance of an oven baked cheesecake so when it’s done in the pressure cooker, I use the broil feature on my Instant pot. Delish!
Lea says
I have made many cheescakes in my life, but never tried to make one in my pressure cooker.
I made this for my Mom's birthday, because she loves lemon. I made a back up dessert in case this did not turn out so good. I followed all the instructions, except I added about 3 tbs more lemon juice. I must say, that this did not look very good when I took it out of the pressure cooker. It looked foamy and odd to me, I thought for sure it was going to be terrible. I made home made lemon curd and whipped cream for the top. It ended up being very tasty, I thought it might have a strange texture but it was very creamy. It was not the prettiest cheescake I have ever made, but tasted great and much less cooking time and I did not have to use my oven and heat up my house.
Heather says
I have made several of your recipes and they are now family favorites! Lemon is one of my absolute favorite flavors and this was packed with a punch! I did make a homemade lemon curd to go on top and it sent this cheesecake to heaven! Thanks for providing easy, delicious and family friendly recipes!
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Melanie Cunningham says
Turned out great! Made 2x already.
Mike Vrobel says
Great! Glad you're enjoying it.
Barbara says
This is a most delish recipe! My family loves it!! The first time I made this I cooked it for 20 minutes per instructions but it was far too runny & never set in the fridge. I have found I need to cook it for 26 min with a 20 min NR.
Just love this recipe!