This recipe originally appeared on The Nosher.
A quick search for “Instant Pot recipes” will yield hundreds of ideas for savory dishes — everything from chilis, pasta, soups, casseroles, and more.
But did you know that you can also use your Instant Pot to make dessert? And that your Instant Pot just happens to make the very best cheesecake?
While cheesecake is not time-consuming or difficult to prepare, there are a few tips to ensure a smooth, creamy filling with no cracking. You want to make sure that all of your ingredients are completely at room temperature — especially the cream cheese. If it’s even a bit chilled it will not incorporate evenly into your other ingredients, leaving you with bits of the cream cheese throughout the filling.
You also want to thoroughly scrape down the sides of the mixer after each ingredient addition. You’ll get any thicker parts of the batter that typically collect around the sides of the bowl down into the center so that they get mixed in completely with the rest of the batter.
Finally, you want to bake the cheesecake in a “bain-marie” or water bath. By placing the springform pan into a larger pan filled partly with water, you insulate the filling and at the same time create steam as the water heats up. Both of these factors are what is key to achieving a smooth cheesecake with no cracks.
Filling your Instant Pot with a bit of water and placing the cheesecake on a trivet inside creates an ideal cooking environment, and results in perfect cheesecake in about 30 minutes!
I paired this creamy cheesecake with an easy fudge sauce, making this an ideal dessert for Shavuot or any time you are craving some indulgence.