Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake

Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake with gingersnap crust is a delicious fall dessert recipe that’s super easy to make in the pressure cooker.

If you want to make an Instant Pot cheesecake, this easy pumpkin cheesecake is perfect for fall! It’s the ideal dessert to impress friends and family, and making dessert in your pressure cooker comes in handy during the holidays!

I have tons of Instant Pot recipes, but I admit I was slow to make cheesecake in the Instant Pot! I’m more into quick and easy desserts. But, my daughter absolutely loves making cheesecake in the Instant Pot, and she really wanted to try a pumpkin cheesecake for fall.

We did several experiments, if you will, and we finally came up with the perfect pumpkin cheesecake recipe! It’s not too rich, not too dense, and the pumpkin flavor isn’t overwhelming — it’s just right!

Instant Pot Cheesecake Tips

• Plan ahead — The cheesecake needs to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours or overnight before you serve it. We usually make cheesecakes the day before and refrigerate them overnight.
• You need a 7-inch springform pan or push pan. The cheesecake pan I have has a handle for easy lifting in and out of the Instant Pot, and I highly recommend it!
• For best results, have your ingredients measured out and ready to go, and have your eggs and cream cheese at room temperature.
• You can taste the batter before you add your eggs (to be safe) and make adjustments to the spices then.
• If you’re making pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving or a special occasion, I highly recommend doing a test run before the big day. The same goes for any recipe, really.
• If the cheesecake isn’t quite done, you can easily put it back into the pressure cooker and cook it for another 5 minutes or until done.

How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake in the Instant Pot

First, make your crust by crushing up the gingersnap cookies. You can do this in a food processor or use a rolling pin to mash them in a plastic zip-top bag.

Then, mix the cookies with melted butter, and press the mixture into your pan. You want to build the crust up over the sides a little. Then, pop the pan into the freezer while you make the batter.

Then, pop the pan into the freezer while you make the batter. This helps the crust firm up so there’s no need to pre-bake it.

Mix the batter in a large mixing bowl until it’s well blended and creamy. You can taste the batter before adding eggs to see if you like the flavor and make adjustments with the spices.

Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust. Then, add water to your Instant Pot, place the trivet inside, and carefully lower the cheesecake pan into the IP.

If your pan does not have a handle, you can make a foil sling to lower it into the pot and remove it after cooking. There’s no need to cover the cheesecake with foil when cooking — just carefully mop up any condensation on the cheesecake with a paper towel when it’s done.

The center should be mostly firm, but may jiggle a little, which is fine — It’ll firm up as it cools. You can test the temperature with a thermometer, which should read 150 degrees when done.

Let the cheesecake cool down, then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. And that’s it — You made an Instant Pot pumpkin cheesecake!

We served the cheesecake with more gingersnap crumbs and a little whipped cream on top. The kiddos insisted on adding a few marshmallow pumpkins too!

Recipe was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2020.

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5 from 7 votes

Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake

By: Dee

This Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake with gingersnap crust is a delicious fall dessert recipe that's incredibly easy to make in the pressure cooker. It's smooth and creamy, with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor and spice

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

refrigeration time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 5 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Equipment

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
• 7 inch Springform Pan

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

The Crust

• ▢ 20 gingersnap cookies about 3/4 cup
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter, melted

The Filling

• ▢ 16 ounces cream cheese 2 8-ounce packages, at room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 cup pumpkin puree not pie filling
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 2 eggs at room temperature

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Instructions 

The Crust:

• Finely crush the ginger snap cookies using a food processor, or place in large zip top bag, close up, and crush with rolling pin
• Melt the butter and add the crushed cookies to it. Mix until combined and the consistency of wet sand.
• Press the crust into the bottom of a greased 7 in cheesecake pan, ensuring it is evenly distributed on the bottom and sides of the pan.
• Place the crust in the freezer until the filling is ready.

The Filling:

• Beat the room temperature cream cheese and sugar until creamy.
• Add the vanilla, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon and beat until combined.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between until just combined.
• Pour the cheesecake filling onto the crust, smoothing out with a spatula if necessary.
• Pour 1 cup of water into the inner pot of the Instant Pot (6 qt). Place a trivet in the bottom.
• If your pan does not have a handle, create a foil sling, place the pan in the sling, then place the sling in the pot. Skip this step if your pan has a handle.
• Close the lid and place the valve in the SEALING position. Hit PRESSURE COOK for 45 minutes, then do a 10 minute natural release.
• Do a quick release to release the remaining pressure. When pin drops, remove lid, and carefully remove the cheesecake from the pot.
• The cheesecake is done when only the center jiggles slightly when you shake the pan back and forth and when its internal temperature is 150 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is not done yet, let it cook for another 5 minutes.
• Take the corner of a paper towel and soak up any water on the top of the cheesecake.
• Allow the cheesecake to cool slightly before covering. Store covered in the fridge for 4 hours to overnight (recommended) before serving.

Notes

This recipe was made in a 6-quart Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.

Recipe uses 1 full cup pumpkin puree, not pie filling, so it takes about 45 minutes to cook completely in the middle. 

I don’t like to cover the cheesecake with foil while cooking, since it can take longer to cook. Blot any water on top of the cheesecake with a paper towel.

Nutrition

Calories: 354kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 297mg, Potassium: 202mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 5615IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 82mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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Pressure Cooker Cheesecake Recipes

Here are more cheesecake recipes for your Instant Pot pressure cooker:

• Peppermint Cheesecake
• Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
• Peanut Butter Cheesecake
• Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
• Eggnog Cheesecake

More Pumpkin Dessert Recipes

• No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookie Cups
• No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Gingersnap Parfaits