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Hey Dad, I like the Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake!
Oh no. No. Nonononono. I went over to the dark side. I've joined…the Pumpkin Spice zombies! (Join us…join us…mmrrmmm...pumpkin spice...mrmmmm...)
But…but this cheesecake is so good! I have to share it!
Ahem. Sorry. Pumpkin spice is towering over the food world right now. (I picture it like Godzilla wearing a Halloween pumpkin head.) But seriously, this is a fantastic fall dessert. I'm making a couple of these cheesecakes for Thanksgiving dinner.
I know pressure cooker cheesecake seems strange, but using the pressure cooker as a steamer is a great trick. The key to pressure cooker cheesecake is a 7-inch springform pan - just large enough to fit in a 6 quart Instant Pot. (Or Fagor Lux, or any other 6 quart electric pressure cooker - they're all roughly the same size.)
And, as much as I love pressure cooker cheesecake, I had to change my cheesecake technique for this recipe. The change: do NOT cover the cheesecake pan with foil. This recipe puffs up as it cooks...and sticks to the foil, making a mess of the top. Once I got rid of the foil, I found out how much it was slowing down the cooking, too. I cut the cooking time to 20 minutes without foil. And finally, foil makes the cheesecake cook unevenly - I'd wind up with the outside cooked, but the middle still soupy. So, no more foil on the cheesecake!
(Why did I foil the cheesecake? To protect the cheesecake from steam. Turns out, the steam is no big deal. If water condenses on top. of the cheesecake, I dab it off with paper towels, and the cheesecake is fine.)
Recipe: Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake
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Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 small cheesecake 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe. That's right, cheesecake from the pressure cooker. Pumpkin cheesecake is a quick and easy fall dessert.
Ingredients
Crust
- 14 gingersnap cookies, crushed (about ¾ cup)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Cheesecake
- 1 pound regular cream cheese, softened (2 8-ounce packages)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ cup (4 ounces) canned pumpkin
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Topping
- Whipped Cream
Instructions
- Prep the pan: Spray a 7-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the crushed ginger snaps and melted butter, then spread evenly across bottom of the pan, packing them down (and up the sides a little) with a flat bottomed glass (or your fingers).
- Make the cheesecake filling: Soften the cream cheese by leaving it out at room temperature for at least 1 hour (or heat it in the microwave until it softens, about 20 to 30 seconds). Beat the cream cheese in an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Leave the mixer on medium and slowly add the sugar. Beat on medium speed until the sugar is completely blended, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Add the pumpkin, the pumpkin pie spice, and the 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 into the 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. 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. (Bend the edges of the foil sling over so they fit under the lid.) 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 15 more minutes. (After 15 minutes, you can quick release any pressure left in the pot.)
- Cool the cheesecake, then serve: Lift the cheesecake out of the pressure cooker. Immediately run a knife around the rim of the cheesecake pan to loosen the cheesecake from the sides. Cool the pan at room temperature for an hour, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Top with whipped cream and serve.
Notes
Don't feel like crushing gingersnaps? Substitute ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs and 2 teaspoons sugar
Can't find pumpkin pie spice? Use: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, a dash of ground cloves, and a dash of ground nutmeg
A question I know is coming: Can I use a bigger pan in an 8 quart pressure cooker? I don't know; I don't have a bigger pan to try, yet. If you do try it, let me know.
Tools
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
- Pressure Cooker Steaming Rack (Almost every pressure cooker comes with one)
- 7-inch springform pan (my favorite) or cheesecake pan (also great)
- Aluminum foil (to make a sling)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice of cheesecake
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 22.9 g
- Sodium: 254.3 mg
- Fat: 26.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.5 g
- Protein: 5.9 g
- Cholesterol: 113.7 mg
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake
Pressure Cooker Salted Caramel Cheesecake
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos
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Deb says
Thank you for sharing your recipe. It was delicious! I used the blender instead of the mixer to create an extra creamy batter.
Mike Vrobel says
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Janet Goff says
My family LOVED this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to research your recipes and for writing them out in steps. Love your site!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome - glad you enjoyed it!
Mike says
I have made this twice and it turned out perfectly each time. It is my wife's favorite cheesecake of all. Thanks for a terrific recipe.
Kyna says
This is awesome ! Going to make it today ! Thank you for sharing
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Lawrence Smith says
Why do some of your recipes for Cheesecake cook for 35 minutes and some for 20 minutes?
Mike Vrobel says
Covered with foil = 35 minutes. Not covered with foil = 20 minutes.
Marcella Morris says
Can I use a 6 x 3 springform pan?
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, it should work.
Susan in Las Vegas says
We tried this using crushed almond biscotti for the crust. It was really incredibly wonderful!
Brian says
This recipe stole the show for dessert at Thanksgiving!
Eva says
Thank you for this recipe. It was my first time making a cheesecake and it turned out great! We had it instead of pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. Easy instructions, great flavor, it came out perfect!