Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake
As the reigning queen of Instant Pot Mini recipes, I’m so happy to bring you a sweet Fall recipe! This is actually my very first dessert recipe for the instant pot mini for Fall. This is the Instant Pot 3-quart mini machine that I use, by the way. I’m dreaming up more Fall pressure cooker desserts, if you have any requests? It’s hard to know if my carrot cake cheesecake is for the Spring or Fall, because we use it a lot for Fall birthdays in my house! Never mind the fact that I live in Texas and we’re still nearing 100-degrees everyday, and we’re hanging out by the pool for desperate relief. It is still nearly the first day of Fall, so we will celebrate with pumpkin, regardless. The thing about an instant pot pumpkin cheesecake is that it’s cool and creamy, so it totally helps! I adapted this recipe from my instant pot mini cheesecake recipe, but included pumpkin and spices for a totally new feel. That recipe includes heavy cream for a perfectly creamy result, but this one relies on canned pumpkin instead. I have no idea if you could use homemade pumpkin puree; I wouldn’t use it because I’m afraid it has too much water in it. The last thing I want for you is a soggy cheesecake!
Pressure cooker pumpkin cheesecake tips:
How to ensure a cheesecake without cracks
If I had to brag about myself to someone I didn’t know, I would lead with my ability to make perfect cheesecakes that never crack. I believe my ability is not an inherent talent, but instead, a skill that I’ve honed over the years. My cheesecakes don’t crack for a few reasons: mainly, I don’t over-beat. While I do beat my cheesecake ingredients together with an electric hand mixer, I stop short when the ingredients are homogenous. Continuously beating cheesecake batter inflates the eggs with air, which has nowhere to escape in the oven except in the form of bubbles. These bubbles pop and can cause cracks. This is also true for my pumpkin cheesecake bars. I let my cheesecakes cool slowly. Drastic temperature changes can make the cheesecake pull away from the sides of the pan quickly, which might lead to cracks. The beauty of making cheesecake in a pressure cooker is that the ’natural pressure release’ helps with this process! However, if you over-beat or accidentally do a forced pressure release, just pour caramel over the top of the cheesecake to hide any cracks. If you’re not up for instant pot, try my mini pumpkin cheesecakes in a muffin pan! Or, my plain small batch vanilla cheesecake in a loaf pan is a great place to start, too. 10. Take a small piece of foil and make a ’tent shape’ over the top of the cheesecake. This will help steam roll off and away from the surface of your cheesecake instead of pooling on top!11. Lock the lid of the Instant Pot in place, and turn the valve to ‘SEALING.’ Press ‘PRESSURE COOK’ and make sure it’s on HIGH. Enter 30 minutes, and make sure ‘KEEP WARM’ is off.12. Let the cheesecake pressure cook for 30 minutes, and once the timer goes off, leave it to do a natural pressure release for at least 20 minutes.13. Remove the lid, and let the cheesecake cool in the Instant Pot until it’s cool enough for you to lift it out, about an hour. If any water is on the surface of the cheesecake, gently lay a paper towel on top and allow it to soak up the water.14. Next, chill the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 8 hours before serving.15. To serve: sprinkle with extra pumpkin pie spice, and dollop whipped cream on top of each slice. *I really recommend canned pumpkin, not homemade pumpkin puree, which can be watery. The 6" springform pan that fits perfectly into the Instant Pot Mini is linked below.
Cuisinart Handheld Mixer with Storage Case, White Instant Pot 3 Qt Pressure Cooker Springform Pan with Detachable Bottom, 6-Inch,
