EASY Instant Pot Vanilla Cheesecake Recipe (7 Ingredients)

Method

• 1)

  Fill a large bowl with hot tap water from your sink, place the 2 Large Eggs into the bowl and set aside to get them to room temp (only takes a few minutes). Cut the cream cheese into small blocks, place it into a microwave safe bowl. Heat the cream cheese for 15 seconds, take it out, give it a stir than microwave for another 10 seconds then stir and check again – continue with 10 second increments until it’s very soft (about 80°F-85°F).

• 2)

  Add ¾ Cup of Sweetened Condensed Milk to the bowl of cream cheese. Stir with a whisk until it’s smooth and there are no lumps. Add 2 Large Eggs and 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Paste or Extract (if you use Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste – you get the lovely specks of vanilla bean in the cheesecake). Stir well with a whisk until the eggs are completely incorporated and the batter is smooth & homogeneous.

• 3)

  Trace the bottom of your 7 inch pan on parchment paper and cut out the circle to line the bottom of the pan.  Use butter to grease the the interior side of the pan very well. Add 1 Cup of Graham Cracker Crumbs, 2 Tablespoons of Granulated Sugar and 3 Tablespoons of melted Salted Butter into a bowl and mix well. Pour the crumbs into your springform pan and press the crust very firmly onto the bottom, use a spoon or something with a flat bottom like a small ramekin to help even out the crust.

• 4)

  Pour the batter into your cheesecake pan. Pick up the pan and tap it a few times on the counter to even out the batter and this also helps pop air bubbles in your batter. Place a paper towel on top of the pan, it should not touch the cheesecake. Place one piece of foil on top and seal tightly,  then another piece of foil the bottom that wraps up towards the top ~ the entire pan should be covered ~ this helps prevent steam getting on your cheesecake – the cooking time for this recipe is also designed for this wrapping technique (your cheesecake could turn out overcooked if you’re not wrapping the top and bottom)

• 5)

  Place 1½ Cups of water into the Instant Pot and place the trivet into it. Carefully place the the cheesecake pan on top of the trivet or use an Instant Pot Silicone Sling – (purchase here) If you have a separate sealing ring you use for desserts, place that one on the lid.  Seal the lid and switch the knob to “Sealing”.  Set the Instant Pot for High Pressure / Manual for 45 minutes. Once the timer is up and you hear the beep, wait an additional 15 minutes while the pot releases the pressure naturally.  If the pin hasn’t dropped on it’s own after 15 minutes, switch the knob to “Venting” and when the pin drops open your lid.

  ***Different Instant Pot models, living in higher elevation or even different springform pans may change the cook time. If there is no jiggle in the very center, the cheesecake is most likely overcooked (overcooked cheesecakes are eggy and grainy instead of creamy), use 5-10 minutes less cooking time next time. If your cheesecake looks like liquid in the middle, it’s under cooked. Make sure there’s still 1½ Cups of water in the pot, recover the pan and cook for another 5 mins on High Pressure and 5 minute natural pressure release (repeat if necessary).

• 6)

  Carefully remove the cheesecake from the Instant Pot.  Unwrap the foil, the pan will still be hot so use mitts or kitchen tongs – the cheesecake should be pretty solid on the outer edge and just slightly jiggly in the center.  Leave it on the counter to cool for about 1.5 hours. Cover the pan and place it into the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before serving.  (Keep the cheesecake in the baking pan, you don’t want to remove the cheesecake until it’s been cooled) Enjoy!