Low Carb Instant Pot Cheesecake (Keto Recipe)
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
- 3/4 cup
blanched almond flour (3 oz wt.) - 3 tbsp salted butter (1.5 oz wt.), melted
- 1 heaping tbsp
powdered erythritol sweetener (0.5 oz wt.)
For the filling:
- 16 oz wt. cream cheese (2 standard 8 oz wt. bricks), softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup
powdered erythritol sweetener (4 oz wt.) - 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (2 oz wt.), room temperature
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp
vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
Preparation
- Remove cold ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, heavy cream) from the refrigerator and allow them to warm to room temperature. Start this 30 minutes before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
- Prepare a steam rack or the trivet that came with your pressure cooker, ideally with lifting handles.
- Prepare an aluminum 6-inch round cheesecake pan with removable bottom or springform pan. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with separate pieces of parchment paper.
Make the crust:
- Combine melted butter and erythritol in a mixing bowl, and stir together. Add almond flour, stirring until the butter is absorbed and forms a dough.
- Transfer the dough to the cheesecake pan. Use a spoon or measuring cup to firmly press down to form a flat and smooth crust covering the entire bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the pan to the freezer to chill the crust for 20 minutes while you work on the filling.
Make the filling:
- Add cream cheese and erythritol to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat on low speed until well-mixed, about 1 minute.
- Add heavy cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds each. Don’t overmix the eggs.
- Remove the pan with chilled crust from the freezer. Pour the batter over the crust, careful not to leave trapped air gaps. Flatten the surface using a spatula.
Cook and cool:
- Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pressure cooker. Place the trivet over the water, with its handles resting on the sides of the pot. Place the cheesecake pan on top of the trivet.
- Secure and seal the lid. Cook for 30 minutes at high pressure, followed by a 15 minute natural release. Manually release any remaining pressure by gradually turning the release knob to its venting position.
- Carefully lift the lid to avoid dripping condensation on the cheesecake. The top of the cheesecake should be jiggly but not liquid. If needed, use a paper towel to carefully dab at the cheesecake to absorb any condensation on its surface. Turn off the pressure cooker.
- Let the cheesecake cool uncovered in the pressure cooker. After about an hour, lift it from the pot using the trivet’s handles to continue to cool on the countertop.
- After it has cooled, loosely drape a paper towel over the cheesecake pan and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Do not seal tightly because the cheesecake needs to dehydrate.
- Carefully remove the chilled cheesecake from the pan. Peel off the parchment paper. Slice and serve.
NUTRITION
| Nutrition Facts Per Serving |
| Calories 460 | |
| Total Fat 45g | 69% |
| Saturated Fat 23g | 114% |
| Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 168mg | 56% |
| Sodium 370mg | 15% |
| Potassium 90mg | 3% |
| Total Carb 6g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.5g | 6% |
| Sugars 1g | |
| Protein 11g |
This low carb Instant Pot cheesecake is one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had. It reminds me of New York style cheesecakes that I had while growing up on Long Island — rich and creamy, with a dense and smooth consistency. Cheesecakes are dubbed “New York style” when they’re made with heavy cream (for that firm and silky texture), and often they’re baked in extra tall cheesecake pans.
The advantage of cooking cheesecake and other traditionally baked desserts in the Instant Pot is that pressure cooker recipes are less susceptible to the vagaries of ovens. Some ovens run too hot, some run too cold, and baking often involves some intuition on the part of the baker. With the Instant Pot, you get more reproducible results.
I enjoying making cheesecake in the Instant Pot. Some days are too hot, so I don’t want to hear up my house with the oven, and some days I just don’t feel like messing with the oven at all.
Cheesecakes are one of the few desserts that are very easily translatable to a low carb version without any loss in taste and texture. The low carb version tastes exactly like the real deal. The first low carb cheesecake I made was in the form of pumpkin cheesecake bars for Thanksgiving last year, and this Instant Pot cheesecake uses the same almond flour crust and similar filling without pumpkin flavors.
For this recipe, you’ll need a round pan that’s six inches in diameter and 3 inches tall. It can either be a pan with removable bottom — I use Fat Daddio’s aluminum 6-inch round cheesecake pan — or a springform pan. I prefer the pan with a removable bottom, which fits well in my 6 quart Instant Pot. The sides and bottom of the pan should be lined with parchment paper, no greasing needed. You’ll also need the trivet that came with your Instant Pot or a steam rack with handles; if yours doesn’t have handles, you can make a foil sling to help you transfer the cheesecake out of the Instant Pot when it’s done.
Lining the cheesecake pan with parchment paper:
Make sure that you remove cold ingredients like cream cheese, heavy cream, and eggs from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before starting the recipe. You want to give them time to come to room temperature, helping to ensure a smooth and creamy batter. Otherwise you might end up with a lumpy batter.
It’s also important that you don’t overmix while beating the batter. At every step, the batter should be mixed until the ingredients are incorporated and smooth, and no more. I provide electric mixer time estimates in the recipe so that you’ll have an idea of what to do. If you overmix, you will end up with a lighter and fluffier batter, which means an airier and puffier cheesecake.
I prefer Philadelphia’s brand cream cheese, and I would watch out for other brands — sometimes they have other additives. Philadelphia cream cheese has only 1 g carbs per ounce, and other brands may have more. I’ve used several different brands for almond flour and I like the ones sold at Trader Joe’s and Costco, which have 2 g net carbs per 1/4 cup serving.
Making low carb cheesecake batter and almond crust:
I use a low carb sweetener called erythritol because it’s healthiest, and I use its powdered form. You can buy erythritol online on Amazon and use a Nutribullet or similar blender to powder it. You can also substitute with other types of dry sweeteners, but note that pure erythritol is 70% as sweet as sugar. If you use a sweetener that has a 1:1 substitution ratio for sugar (such as Swerve), you’ll need to make a conversion. I recommend using the provided weight measurements, not volume, when performing the conversion.
Note that the cheesecake should be chilled in the refrigerator at least 24 hours before serving. This is non-negotiable. Cheesecakes take time to develop flavor and a dense texture. Personally, I think this cheesecake tastes best after it has chilled for at least 48 hours.
You can also store cheesecake in the freezer for up to several months — lucky for you, cheesecakes freeze incredibly well. You can thaw by placing in the refrigerator overnight.
I’ve also made versions of this cheesecake with other flavors — my favorite is key lime where I add 2-3 tablespoons key lime juice and lime zest in place of the lemon juice.
Hi Julia,
Wow, thank you so much for this recipe! It is delicious. My husband thought it was perfect: I would add a tiny bit more sweetener. It is wonderful with strawberries.
We took your advice and ordered quality flour and pure erythritol WHICH LITERALLY COSTS HALF THE PRICE OF SWERVE.
We can’t wait to try more of your recipes. We get to reap the rewards of all of your perfecting!
PEOPLE: This girl knows what she is talking about!!
This recipe is fabulous. Every weekend I try a new cheesecake recipe looking for that low carb but delicious one. THIS IS IT.
Hi Julia. This looks delicious. I have one question. Do you remove the bottom of your pan when serving or not. If so, what’s the best way to remove the bottom of the pan before serving?
That’s a great question, Donna. After cooling and chilling, I remove the sides of the pan but keep the bottom on. Then I carefully cut into 6 equal slices directly on the lined bottom, and transfer each slice to an individual serving plate.
I hope that makes sense. Please let me know if I can clarify anything.
First time ever making a cheesecake let alone an instant pot one and it came out perfect! I topped mine with a keto raspberry purée.
I’m about to make it again, lol! Was a complete hit for my family and visiting little brother; he didn’t even know it was sugar-free! Pro Tip: Do let it chill as mentioned; it was soft and too tender to eat, but we didn’t feel like waiting. It was perfect the next day. I feel like that is ’nuff said 😉
Do you think it would cause a problem to cover the cheesecake with foil while cooking in the Instant Pot? It seems like that would help keep some of the moisture out of the cheesecake and also protect it from drips when the lid is removed. Thanks!
Tammy, I haven’t tested this recipe by covering the cheesecake with foil, but it should be fine. I don’t see how it would cause any problems. If you give it a try, please let me know how it turns out for you.
Tammy, the only problem is the cheesecake rises substantially during cooking. I found this out the hard way (using my instant pot wrong and vented the whole time. So I had to take the lid off and add more water. The cheesecake was about 2 inches above the pan before it gradually collapsed.) It rises like a souffle so securing it with foil may make it worse and push out through other crevices or something.
I’m not much for baking, but this came out fantastic. I only had a 7” pan so I added 1 cup of almond flour and 4 T butter for crust and I also used confectioners swerve and used 78 grams of it in the cheesecake mixture. Same cooking time as stated in the recipe. Thank you for a great recipe and for including the measurements, it helped out a lot.
This was a hit at our Christmas dinner! Topped with unsweetened berries and whipped cream. Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe.
We love your cheesecake recipe. Have you ever come up with a chocolate cheesecake?
Thank you, Roberta. I don’t have a chocolate cheesecake recipe, but it’s on my list of things to try. I’m considering either an Instant Pot version, similar to this one, or a layered chocolate cheesecake bar using the oven. Please let me know if you have any thoughts on this. I love getting feedback from readers.
Can this recipe be used in a coventional oven?
Yes, and I would first separately bake the crust. Check out this recipe to get an idea of how I make low carb cheesecake in the oven: https://www.savorytooth.com/keto-cheesecake/
I baked mine in the oven. Had a tray with water on the bottom of oven….Perfect and delicious!
Your recipes never fail thank you.
What temp and for how long?
I’m about to make this delicious looking cheesecake, but while preparing things beforehand I realize my springform pan is only 2 inches tall. Do I have to make 2 cheesecakes by dividing the filling? I don’t want the cheesecake to overflow the pan. 🙁
I think it would probably still fit. I wouldn’t make 2 cheesecakes unless you also plan to make another crust. Hope this came out okay for you!
Thank you for the recipe. Can I use 8oz cream cheese and 8oz mascarpone?
You’re welcome. I haven’t tried that substitution before so I can’t speak to how it’ll turn out. Cream cheese has an acid tang that helps cheesecakes be rich but not cloyingly so. Mascarpone has a higher fat content, and I expect that it’ll result in cheesecake that is richer and slightly heavier.
I’ve made this. Followed instructions exactly and it was phenomenal. I’d love to do a pumpkin cheesecake with this recipe. Any suggestions?
Here’s my pumpkin cheesecake version, also made in the IP: https://www.savorytooth.com/instant-pot-pumpkin-cheesecake/
Hi Julia
I just made this and it’s cooling overnight in the fridge can’t wait to try it. I’m wondering about why you are not using sour cream, as I’ve noticed it in other recipes. Had you tried it with that? Oh I also added cinnamon and a tiny bit of cardamon to the crust.
Your crust additions sound delicious! I use heavy cream in my cheesecakes because I like how it contributes a creamy, dense texture and lends more richness. Since I add lemon juice to the batter, I don’t need any tartness from the sour cream. This is just my personal preference, though 🙂
I’m very interested in this recipe. I just have 2 questions: 1. Instead of using erythritol, how much monk fruit sweetener which happens to have erythritol in it, could I use instead? 2. Also I would prefer it’s to be crustless as well. by placing the parchment paper at the bottom of the springform pan, wouldn’t that allow me the opportunity to easily transfer to a plate and serve it as a crustless cheesecake?
(1) Different sweetener brands and types will vary in their sweetness. You should check your sweetener’s packaging to see how it measures compared to sugar. If you’re using Lakanto, I believe some of their products are 2x as sweet as sugar, but I don’t know about your particular one. Given that erythritol is about 70% as sweet as sugar, you can calculate the appropriate amount to use.
(2) Yes, I think that will work. Make sure to let it fully chill in the refrigerator. Might be a bit delicate removing the cheesecake from the pan since it doesn’t have a crust, but it should be doable.
Hi Julia. I just wondered if you have ever used a nut crust? I’m not a recipe developer, but it sounds good to me.
By nut crust, do you mean using finely ground nuts to make the crust? That should work well, and is similar to how I’m using almond flour for the crust. I think a mixture of almond flour with finely ground pecans would make a lovely crust with more crunch to it.
I made this in both a 7×3 and 6×3 container. Comes out great in both – the 7×3 gives you more slices. Would love to know how much to increase the ingredients by to make a proportional cheesecake in the 7×3 vs. 6×3. In the 6×3 the slices are thicker/higher, but the 7×3 they’re lower/wider.
I will try your pumpkin version next. Would love to see more versions of cheesecake from you.
Next up is your beef n broccoli.
The volume of a cylinder is [pi*(r^2)*h]
[pi*((7/2)^2)*3] / [pi*((6/2)^2)*3] = (12.25/9) = 1.36111111
Therefore, a 7″ pan has just over 4/3 the volume of a 6″ pan — multiplying the amount of each filling ingredient by 4/3 will do the trick (aside from the fraction of an egg)
The area of the pan bottom is [pi*(r^2)]
Multiplying the crust ingredients by 4/3 will also yield a proportional amount
Hope that helps!
YAY DAVE!!! thanks for answering this question, which is what i came to the comments to find. merry christmas!
Can this cheesecake be made crustless?
Yes, but I much prefer this with a crust. Also, it might be a bit unwieldy and messy to handle, since it has no crust to support the cake.
The erithryol that you suggested – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018UWALFS/ is this already in powdered form? Some reviews said it’s not confectioners – I don’t really know.
Also, some instant pot recipes mention the cheesecake being ready in as little as 4-6 hours. But they were not keto. Is there some reason why this takes 24 hours+ over theirs?
Great recipe by the way, and would love to see even more instant pot recipes from you!
That erythritol is not powdered. Its product title says “granules” which means it’s granulated, not powdered. For more information, please read the post above the recipe box where I talk about powdering erythritol.
I recommend refrigerating the cheesecake for 24 hours because the flavor substantially improves over time and this gives the cheesecake time to “dehydrate” in the refrigerator so it’s not too wet.
The mixer you linked in the article costs $60. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CH0ZLE/ this one is $15 on Amazon and a best seller. Is it critical to use an expensive mixer, or is the one I listed ok?
It’s not critical at all to use an expensive mixer; the reason I linked to the $60 one is because that’s what I used. You can use any kind of electric mixer for this recipe, whether it’s a hand-held one or a stand mixer. The $15 one you linked looks fine to me.
Best Low Carb Cheesecake EVER! My Keto Co-workers were in heaven. Thank you!
This was so smooth, creamy, and rich! I’ll be serving this for everyone. So glad to have a dessert that can be served to non-low carb eaters – they’ll never have a clue. So easy! I was a little hesitant about making it in the Instant Pot, but wow – it was a breeze. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
Just made it. Very easy and very good.
Some of the comments mention using a 7inch pan. I have Instant Pot Duo. Just bought today – never used before. What’s the benefit of using a 7 inch pan? Is it 7 slices? Are people just spreading the batter out farther to get 7-8 slices? Are you supposed to change the ingredient proportions? 6slices is good, but more is better!
Also the artifiicial sugar and almond flour that you recommended – can that be bought at Walmart or Target? I only have Walmart, Target, and Aldis near me.
My guess is that some readers are using a 7-inch pan because that happens to be what they already have. Almond flour should be easily found at Walmart and Target, and erythritol would need to be bought on Amazon.