10 Instant Pot Cheesecakes
NOTE: If you are not experienced with your Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker yet, then DO NOT attempt this recipe. This recipe is for a more advanced or confident user and ingredients are expensive. I have tried to write this recipe as simplified as I can so that anyone can do it, but not everyone has the same skillset. No, I cannot scale this recipe down to make just one cheesecake. This recipe was specifically designed for a large batch. There are plenty of recipes out there for a single cheesecake.
Equipment
- Foil Pans
Ingredients
Crust:
- 8 cups crushed cookies (¾ cup of cookies per cheesecake by weight. For a thinner crust use 1/2 cup of cookies per foil pan.)
- 6-10 Tbsp melted butter (depending on your cookies)
Batter:
- 6 lbs cream cheese room temp (12 bricks)
- 24 oz cup sour cream room temp
- 3½ cups sugar 24.5 oz
- ½ cup cornstarch sifted (2 oz)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup vanilla extract 2 oz. bottle
- 12 lg eggs room temp (24 oz)
Instructions
- Take cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream out of the fridge and let sit for a few hours to get to room temperature. This is very important.
- While your ingredients are coming to room temperature, put your cookies in a food processor and process until crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse until mixed well. (You may need to do this in batches). You will need 1 Tablespoon of melted butter for every cup of crushed cookies. The only exception is if you Oreos or other cream-filled cookies, you don't need any butter. There is already fat in the filling.
- Get your foil pans ready and add buttered cookie crumbs to each pan. About 3/4 cup per pan. You can always do different types of cookies, just be sure to mark them. Once you pour the batter on top and your cheesecake is cooked, you won't be able to see which cookies are underneath until you go to eat it.
- Press cookies into the bottom of the pan with a flat bottomed glass or measuring cup. Just to get it all even and ready for the batter. Do not press up the sides. Bottom only. Set pans aside.
- In a separate bowl mix together your cornstarch, sugar, and salt. This will ensure even distribution of your cornstarch so there is no clumping.
- In an extra large mixing bowl add cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch mixture, sour cream, and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, blend until nice and smooth, scrape down the sides to make sure you get it evenly distributed. This is going to take a while since there are a lot of ingredients in the bowl. Mix just until the ingredients are well blended.
- In another bowl, mix eggs gently with a fork and get all of the yolks popped. Don't whip them. Just blend the yolks and whites a bit.
- Pour eggs a third of them at a time into the batter. Mix each portion of the eggs a little bit at a time with your hand mixer on low. Don't worry about getting it all mixed super good, you just want them blended a bit. When all of the eggs are incorporated into the batter, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and finish mixing batter by hand. Be careful not to mix air into the batter.
- Let your batter sit for 30 minutes to release any air. You can tap your batter bowl on the counter a few times to help work any bubbles to the top.
- When you are ready to start making cheesecakes, pour batter into each pan, dividing evenly between the pans. Scrape out all of the batter. (about 2 cups, or total weight, in the pan with crust of 1.02)
- You can cook two cheesecakes at a time in your pot with 1 cup of water in the bottom. Use one trivet on the bottom and a tall trivet for your second cheesecake on top. It takes a little bit of finessing, but it can be done. You do not need to cover the pans. You will just blot any water or liquid off the top with a paper towel when the cooking is finished.
- Pressure cook your cheesecakes for 6 minutes and 0-5 min NPR. Remove Cheesecakes from pot and let set on cooling rack for about 1 hour to cool. Dab any water that has accumulated on the top with a paper towel . Your cheesecakes should still be a bit jiggly in the center, like jello. That is good! If your cheesecakes are rising and looking like scrambled eggs, you are cooking them too long. Reduce cooking time or NPR time or both.
- Once your cheesecakes have cooled, place in fridge overnight to set. After chilling overnight you can serve them or freeze them. Use the foil lid to cover before freezing. If you are freezing for an extended time, you may also gently press a parchment round to the top to reduce air exposure to the surface.
- Top your cheesecakes with whatever you like just before serving: fresh fruit, lemon curd, cookie crumbles, chocolate sauce, etc.
Notes
Tip: Let your pot cool between cooking and change the water. Do not use the hot water from the last batch to cook the new batch.
Questions:
Why is the cooking time so short? Because this cheesecake is only about 1½ inches thick, so it cooks fast. Also, foil pans are very thin and heat transfers very fast as well.
Why don't you cover them? It's not necessary. Covering them can be difficult and it changes the cooking time. Just blot them gently with a paper towel when done.
Why don't you put cookies up the side of the pan? If I do that, then the cookies are exposed to the steam and will make them soggy. The soggy sides will eventually drift down and make the bottom crust soggy as well.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
10 Instant Pot Cheesecakes
NOTE: If you are not experienced with your Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker yet, then DO NOT attempt this recipe. This recipe is for a more advanced or confident user and ingredients are expensive. I have tried to write this recipe as simplified as I can so that anyone can do it, but not everyone has the same skillset. No, I cannot scale this recipe down to make just one cheesecake. This recipe was specifically designed for a large batch. There are plenty of recipes out there for a single cheesecake.
Servings: 10 cakes
Cost: $60
Equipment
- Foil Pans
Ingredients
Crust:
- 8 cups crushed cookies (¾ cup of cookies per cheesecake by weight. For a thinner crust use 1/2 cup of cookies per foil pan.)
- 6-10 Tbsp melted butter (depending on your cookies)
Batter:
- 6 lbs cream cheese room temp (12 bricks)
- 24 oz cup sour cream room temp
- 3½ cups sugar 24.5 oz
- ½ cup cornstarch sifted (2 oz)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup vanilla extract 2 oz. bottle
- 12 lg eggs room temp (24 oz)
Instructions
- Take cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream out of the fridge and let sit for a few hours to get to room temperature. This is very important.
- While your ingredients are coming to room temperature, put your cookies in a food processor and process until crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse until mixed well. (You may need to do this in batches). You will need 1 Tablespoon of melted butter for every cup of crushed cookies. The only exception is if you Oreos or other cream-filled cookies, you don't need any butter. There is already fat in the filling.
- Get your foil pans ready and add buttered cookie crumbs to each pan. About 3/4 cup per pan. You can always do different types of cookies, just be sure to mark them. Once you pour the batter on top and your cheesecake is cooked, you won't be able to see which cookies are underneath until you go to eat it.
- Press cookies into the bottom of the pan with a flat bottomed glass or measuring cup. Just to get it all even and ready for the batter. Do not press up the sides. Bottom only. Set pans aside.
- In a separate bowl mix together your cornstarch, sugar, and salt. This will ensure even distribution of your cornstarch so there is no clumping.
- In an extra large mixing bowl add cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch mixture, sour cream, and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, blend until nice and smooth, scrape down the sides to make sure you get it evenly distributed. This is going to take a while since there are a lot of ingredients in the bowl. Mix just until the ingredients are well blended.
- In another bowl, mix eggs gently with a fork and get all of the yolks popped. Don't whip them. Just blend the yolks and whites a bit.
- Pour eggs a third of them at a time into the batter. Mix each portion of the eggs a little bit at a time with your hand mixer on low. Don't worry about getting it all mixed super good, you just want them blended a bit. When all of the eggs are incorporated into the batter, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and finish mixing batter by hand. Be careful not to mix air into the batter.
- Let your batter sit for 30 minutes to release any air. You can tap your batter bowl on the counter a few times to help work any bubbles to the top.
- When you are ready to start making cheesecakes, pour batter into each pan, dividing evenly between the pans. Scrape out all of the batter. (about 2 cups, or total weight, in the pan with crust of 1.02)
- You can cook two cheesecakes at a time in your pot with 1 cup of water in the bottom. Use one trivet on the bottom and a tall trivet for your second cheesecake on top. It takes a little bit of finessing, but it can be done. You do not need to cover the pans. You will just blot any water or liquid off the top with a paper towel when the cooking is finished.
- Pressure cook your cheesecakes for 6 minutes and 0-5 min NPR. Remove Cheesecakes from pot and let set on cooling rack for about 1 hour to cool. Dab any water that has accumulated on the top with a paper towel . Your cheesecakes should still be a bit jiggly in the center, like jello. That is good! If your cheesecakes are rising and looking like scrambled eggs, you are cooking them too long. Reduce cooking time or NPR time or both.
- Once your cheesecakes have cooled, place in fridge overnight to set. After chilling overnight you can serve them or freeze them. Use the foil lid to cover before freezing. If you are freezing for an extended time, you may also gently press a parchment round to the top to reduce air exposure to the surface.
- Top your cheesecakes with whatever you like just before serving: fresh fruit, lemon curd, cookie crumbles, chocolate sauce, etc.
Notes
Tip: Let your pot cool between cooking and change the water. Do not use the hot water from the last batch to cook the new batch.
Questions:
Why is the cooking time so short? Because this cheesecake is only about 1½ inches thick, so it cooks fast. Also, foil pans are very thin and heat transfers very fast as well.
Why don't you cover them? It's not necessary. Covering them can be difficult and it changes the cooking time. Just blot them gently with a paper towel when done.
Why don't you put cookies up the side of the pan? If I do that, then the cookies are exposed to the steam and will make them soggy. The soggy sides will eventually drift down and make the bottom crust soggy as well.
