This Instant Pot Strawberry Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce is a tasty way to sneak some berries into everyone’s favorite dessert. Right from your pressure cooker!
Yes…we love cheesecake…LOVE IT. This cheesecake is a DIVA…so pretty you almost hate to take a slice…but so necessary to life right NOW! We’re so excited to share this fresh recipe with you …cheesecake made in under an hour in the instant pot….it’s absolutely life changing! We crowned it with a swirl of strawberry sauce and whole strawberries right on top …how’s that for super special.
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHEESECAKE
This recipe might look like a lot of steps…but it’s totally manageable, even for a beginner. It’s really just three steps to make the cheesecake…and if you’re not sure about the strawberry sauce well, you can sub in strawberry preserves or pie filling. But honestly, the fresh strawberry sauce is totally worth the extra effort!
- Make the graham cracker pie crust by mixing graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press into a springform pan.
- Mix the filling ingredients. Pour into the crust you made.
- Cook in the pressure cooker, remove and chill.
That’s it for the cheesecake. Now make the strawberry sauce by mixing strawberries, sugar and vanilla extra in a saucepan. Cook until the strawberries are tender and the liquid is syrupy. Mash the strawberries with a spoon as it cooks. When done, add some lemon juice. You can make the sauce super smooth by pulsing in your blender or food processor…or not. Chill the sauce in the fridge next to the cheesecake.
When everything is completely chilled (I let it sit overnight), assemble your masterpiece.
Press the crumbs into the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan. I like to use the bottom of a measuring cup to press and flatten it out.
Use an electric hand mixer to blend the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and other ingredients…or for an upper body workout, beat the ingredients together by hand.
Cover the top of the pan with foil to keep off water from the steam, then set the pan on a silicone sling to lower it into the instant pot.
Lock on the lid and set the vent to “sealing”. Next, set the instant pot to high pressure and manually use the +/- buttons to set the time to 35 minutes. Your instant pot will say ON for about 10 minutes while it builds up pressure. Then the countdown will start for the cooking time.
? Good Idea – If you don’t have a sling, tear a long piece of foil (about 22 inches) and set the pan in the center. Use the long pieces of foil on either side to lower the pan into the instant pot. Wrap the foil lightly over the top of the pan, so the lid will close, and use these same handles to remove the pan when the cheesecake is done. Easy!
PRO TIPS FOR THE BEST INSTANT POT CHEESECAKE
GREASE THAT PAN – Greasing the pan keeps your cheesecake from sticking when you remove it. Cheesecakes should shrink from the sides of the pan while cooking. If the sides are sticking to the pan, it can’t pull away..
LOW CRUST – press your crust firmly into the bottom, but don’t go up the sides.
COOL IT…SLOW – You aren’t doing your cheesecake any favors by rushing the cooling process. The cheesecake needs time to cool down slowly, letting the center continue to cook and solidify.
Best advice – take the cheesecake out of the pressure cooker, set it on a rack and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. After cooling, cover the pan loosely and refrigerate another 4 – 6 hours or even better – overnight, until the cheesecake fully solidifies. Run a knife around the edge before removing the outer ring of the springform pan to help the cheesecake release.
ROOM TEMPERATURE – It’s important to let the eggs and cream cheese come to room temperature before using. Cold eggs can re-harden the fat in the recipe and cause a lumpy batter. Cold cream cheese will not bond together with other ingredients and may give you a chunky batter. Neither of these are the result we want.
?TIP – If you forgot to set out the eggs or cream cheese to warm beforehand, here is what you can do to speed things up:
- To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, put them in a bowl of warm water while you are gathering the other ingredients and making the crust. Don’t use hot water – you might cook the eggs.
- To soften the cream cheese, take it out of the packaging, cut into small cubes and spread on a plate for 15 – 20 minutes.
Can You Freeze Homemade Cheesecake?
Yes, you totally can freeze cheesecake! If you’ve got a are party coming up, store the cheesecake whole so you’ll have a beautiful presentation for your guests. OR slice the cheesecake into individual portions for a last minute dessert or an indulgent snack.
Most cheesecakes will keep very well in the freezer for up to a month, provided these easy steps are followed to ensure they stay delicious and creamy.
Cool the Cheesecake
Allow your fresh creation to cool to room temperature, then put it into the refrigerator to “set”. You may be tempted to put the cheesecake right into the freezer, but the texture may be off, and the escaping steam may cause ice crystals to form.
For a Whole Cheesecake:
- Once chilled in the refrigerator, remove the cheesecake from the pan (if you need the pan) and place the cheesecake on foil-wrapped cardboard or in another pan. Wrap in plastic, then again in foil. Freeze for up to one month. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
For Individual Cheesecake Slices:
- Slice the chilled cheesecake into portion size pieces, then wrap each piece tightly in plastic. Wrap each piece again in foil. Freeze for up to one month.
MORE CHEESECAKE RECIPE IDEAS?
- Tall New York Cheesecake
- Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Frozen Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
- Cherry Cheesecake Yogurt Dip
- Strawberry Cheesecake Fluff
Instant Pot Strawberry Cheesecake with Easy Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries for garnish
FOR THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE:
- 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries stemmed, hulled and rough chopped
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
FOR THE CRUST:
- 1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 tbsp sugar
FOR THE FILLING:
- 16 ounces cream cheese 2 (8 ounce) blocks, room temperature
- 2 large eggs at room temp
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp heavy cream powder or all-purpose flour optional
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 7 – inch springform pan that is at least 2-1/2 inches deep.
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until all crumbs are moistened. The mixture will be crumbly. Press this mixture into the bottom of the pan. Set the pan in the freezer to chill for 10 – 15 minutes while you make the filling.
Make the Filling:
- Using a stand or hand mixer, beat cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and heavy cream powder at low speed until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add lemon juice, zest and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Pour filling into prepared pan. Cover the top of the pan with foil.
Cook the Cheesecake:
- Pour 1-1/2 cups water into the bottom of the Instant Pot liner. Place trivet in the bottom of the pot. Tear a long piece of foil (about 22 inches) and lay flat. Place pan in center of foil, pull sides up on each side of pan and use "handles" to lower pan into the pot. Loosely fold foil over the pan so lid will close. OR place pan on a silicone sling and lower into the Instant Pot.
- Lock the lid into place and set the vent to "sealing". Press the Manual button and use the (+/-) buttons to set the cook time to 35 minutes on High pressure. When cooking is complete, allow the steam to natural release for 10 minutes. Hit the cancel button and turn vent to "venting" to release any remaining steam and carefully open the lid.
- Unfold foil and use as handles to remove the cheesecake from the pot to a wire rack. Remove foil covering and check that the cheesecake is done. The center 2-inches should still be wobbly or insert an instant read thermometer into center of cheesecake. It should read 140°F to 150°F. Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Make Strawberry Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, combine strawberries, sugar and vanilla. Cook over medium-high heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce starts to thicken.
- Mash strawberries as you stir. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
- Allow to cool completely before using. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Finish Cheesecake with Strawberries:
- Spread 1/2 cup of prepared strawberry sauce on top of the cheesecake. Top with fresh strawberries, covering the entire top of the cake. Use a basting brush to coat strawberries with additional sauce. Serve cheesecake with remaining sauce.
Chef Tips
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
