This Instant Pot New York Cheesecake is super creamy and decadent, with a smooth but thick texture that will blow you away. Made in the Instant Pot, it’s done in half the time it takes in the oven, and it yields a perfect result.
» Try this delicious Instant Pot Carrot Cake and these Instant Pot Easter Cheesecakes.
I won’t make cheesecake any other way now that I’ve learned the perfect method for making it in the Instant Pot. There’s no need to pre-bake the crust or use a water bath, or anything special. That’s because the steam in the Instant Pot gets you the results of the water bath, only way better.
You will be surprised how easy it is to make this New York cheesecake in the Instant Pot. If you’ve been avoiding trying it because it sounds difficult, take the leap, but it’s way more simple than you can imagine. The bulk of the prep time is used to beat the ingredients to make the filling. After that, it’s a piece of cake. 😉
>> Try topping this cheesecake with Instant Pot Condensed Milk Dulce de Leche.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This Instant Pot Cheesecake recipe requires a handful of ingredients that are easy to source. You’ll want to make sure that all of the refrigerated ingredients come up to room temperature before using them, so be sure to plan ahead and take the cream cheese, butter, and eggs out of the fridge in advance.
For the crust:
- Graham crackers – You’ll need about 10 full pieces of graham crackers. If you can’t get graham crackers, you can use shortbread cookies. You’ll need about 1 1/2 cups worth.
- Brown sugar – I’ve used both light and dark brown sugar.
- Unsalted butter – You want to melt the butter so that it’s liquid, but not super hot. It’s okay to use salted butter, if that’s all you have. I actually prefer to use salted butter because I like the salty addition.
For the filling:
- Cream cheese – Use full fat cream cheese for the best results and make sure you’ve removed it from the fridge far enough in advance that it’s at room temperature
- Cornstarch – The cornstarch helps to thicken the cake
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Sour cream – Also at room temperature
- Lemon zest – optional
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs – large eggs at room temperature
- Chocolate syrup or other desired topping – I sometimes just pour a can of pie cherries over the top, or use caramel syrup, or just serve it plain if you like.
How to Make Instant Pot Cheesecake
Making the Crust
In a bowl, mix the ground graham crackers with the brown sugar and melted butter until it’s well mixed, like gravel. The moisture is what makes it stick together.
I use a 7” springform pan for my cheesecake, which isn’t strictly necessary. You can use a smaller pan or you can use a regular pan that’s not springform. The great thing about springform is that you can just release it and pull the cake out, but if you line the pan with parchment paper, it’s easy to get it out of a regular pan, as well.
Just be sure to line the bottom and around the edges with parchment paper to prevent sticking. If you want, you can forego the paper around the edges if you’re using a springform pan.
Pour the crust mixture into the pan and press it down to form a firm crust on the bottom. Pack it down with the bottom of a glass to make sure it’s well packed. That will help make it compact and not crumble.
Making the Filling
In a small mixing bowl, mix together the cornstarch, salt, and granulated sugar. You’re going to add this to the batter mixture a little at a time.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese for a few seconds with a hand mixer on low speed just to break it up. Then add in half the sugar mixture and beat for a few seconds, just to incorporate the sugar.
Try your best not to beat the batter any longer than necessary, because it will add air bubbles to the batter that you don’t want. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula after each addition to make sure bits of sugar don’t get left behind.
Add the remaining sugar and beat again just to incorporate. Add the sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
With the hand mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time and beat just until they’re fully incorporated. Then fold the batter with a spatula just to make sure you got everything.
Pour the mixture into the springform pan and smooth it out. Try to remove any air bubbles from the mixture by smoothing with a spatula. You can also tap the pan against the counter a few times to pop bubbles. The smoother the top, the smoother your cheesecake will turn out.
Pressure Cooking the Cake
Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Set the trivet inside. Place the springform pan on the trivet. Lock the lid. Press the pressure cook button and set the time to 27 minutes.
Using boiling water will lower the time it takes to pressurize, which will also reduce condensation, so it’s an important step. You can also turn on the saute mode and boil the water in the pot, then switch it to pressure cook to start the cooking time.
After the time is up, allow a natural release of pressure. Carefully open the lid to avoid water splatter. There will be water on the top of the cheesecake. But it can easily be removed from the surface with a paper towel. There are ways to prevent water drops, like tenting with tin foil, but it’s never bothered me enough to do it.
Allow the cheesecake to cool completely on a wire rack. This will take about 20 minutes. Then transfer it to the refrigerator to cool for at least 4 hours to overnight to firm up. You don’t have to cover it, but if you want to, just tent it with tin foil or plastic wrap.
Once chilled, remove the cake from the pan, top with chocolate syrup or your topping of choice, and serve.
Additional Notes for Perfect Cheesecake
- Be sure not to overbeat the cheesecake batter as this forms bubbles that affect the texture of the cake.
- Use a hand mixture rather than a stand mixture for this to avoid adding extra unnecessary bubbles.
- The cheesecake texture develops while cooling, so it’s not desirable to cut into the cheesecake before 4 hours of chilling time. I prefer overnight for the best texture.
- There’s no need to prebake the crust. I find that it holds together just fine with the method above. However, you can freeze the crust for 10-15 minutes while making the filling and that can firm it up even more, if you’re worried.
- You can freeze the cheesecake for up to 2 months. I like to slice it and freeze the individual slices so I can just take out a single serving when I feel like it. The texture actually improves in the freezer, if you ask me. So freezing and allowing it to thaw for 30 minutes before slicing produces my favorite cheesecake texture.
Equipment Used in This Recipe
- Instant Pot
- Hand mixer
- 7” springform pan
- Parchment paper
- Rubber spatula
Why Use An Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. If you don’t have one, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot and the many accessories you can buy for it.
- Don’t Have an Instant Pot? This guide can help you choose the right one.
- See reviews and prices for Instant Pots on Amazon.
- Learn some great Instant Pot Tips & Tricks.
- Click to find more recipes to make in your Instant Pot.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Like this recipe? We’d love for you to share it on your Pinterest boards! Click to follow our Pinterest boards so you can find all our recipes! You can also find us on Facebook!
Instant Pot New York Cheesecake
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Ingredients
For the crust
- 10 whole graham crackers ground
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter unsalted and melted
For the filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs plus 1 yolk room temperature
- 1/4 cup chocolate syrup or other desired topping
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the ground graham crackers with the brown sugar and melted butter until it’s well mixed, like gravel.
- Line a 7” springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom and around the edge, to prevent sticking.
- Pour the crust mixture into the pan and press it down to form a firm crust on the bottom. Pack it down with the bottom of a glass.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix cornstarch, salt, and granulated sugar together.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese for a few seconds with a hand mixer on low speed. Add in half the sugar mixture and beat again for a few seconds, just to incorporate the sugar – don’t beat any longer than necessary. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula after each addition.
- Add the remaining sugar and beat again just to incorporate.
- Add the sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
- Beat while adding the eggs, one at a time. Fold the batter with a spatula just to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into the springform pan and smooth it out. Try to remove any air bubbles from the mixture by smoothing with a spatula. You can also tap the pan against the counter a few times to pop bubbles. The smoother the top, the smoother your cheesecake will turn out.
- Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Set the trivet inside. Place the springform pan on the trivet. Lock the lid. Press the pressure cook button and set the time to 27 minutes.
- After the time is up, allow a natural release of pressure. Carefully open the lid to avoid water splatter. Remove any water from the surface of the cheesecake with a paper towel.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool completely on a wire rack, then transfer it to the refrigerator to cool for at least 4 hours to overnight to firm up.
- Once chilled, remove the cake from the pan, top with chocolate syrup, and serve.
Notes
The cheesecake texture develops while cooling, so it’s not desirable to cut into the cheesecake before 4 hours of chilling time. I prefer overnight for the best texture.
Nutrition
🥧 If you’re interested in more great recipes, I share all my favorite recipes over at A Food Lover’s Kitchen, and you’ll find air fryer recipes at Air Fry Anytime and cocktails and drinks at Savored Sips. Check it out today!
Pin it for later!
Laura is a passionate home cook and the owner of A Pressure Cooker Kitchen. She is dedicated to helping people create delicious Instant Pot meals with ease. Laura is an expert at developing recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily using a pressure cooker.