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Easy Instant Pot Chocolate Cheesecake

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This easy chocolate cheesecake is rich, creamy and delicious! An Oreo crust is topped with chocolate cheesecake filling and cooked in the Instant Pot for a dessert that is surprisingly simple to make.

This Instant Pot chocolate cheesecake tastes amazing drizzled with strawberry sauce and whipped cream. It makes a spectacular dessert for a special occasion like Christmas or just for a Sunday family dinner.

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Learn why Instant Pot cheesecakes are the best along with all the tips and tricks that will make it easy for you to create this delicious dessert at home!

Why You Will Love This Easy Chocolate Cheesecake

I mean it consists of chocolate + cheesecake, what is not to love? But if you need more reasons here they are!

  • If you thought baked cheesecakes were too complicated to make this recipe will prove that wrong!
  • You don’t have to tie up your oven for hours while a cheesecake bakes and cools inside.
  • Buy a cheesecake is very expensive! You can buy the ingredients for this for about what one slice of cheesecake would cost at the Cheesecake Factory.

Check out my recipes for Instant Pot Oreo Cheesecake, Instant Pot Apple Pie Cheesecake and Instant Pot Red Velvet Cheesecake!

cutting a piece of cheesecake

Why Make Cheesecake in a Pressure Cooker?

To really make a cheesecake creamy it needs to be cooked with steam. And a pressure cooker makes it effortless to get consistent steam, which makes it the perfect environment for baking a cheesecake.

The only types of cheesecakes I make now are Instant Pot cheesecakes or no bake cheesecakes. It just isn’t worth the extra effort to do it any other way!

What You Need for Instant Pot Cheesecake

There are a few special tools to make cheesecake in the Instant Pot.

Springform Pan

A standard springform pan is too large to fit inside most pressure cookers. I have a 6 quart Instant Pot, and I use this 7.5 inch springform pan for my Instant Pot cheesecakes.

It fits inside a 6 quart pressure cooker, is dishwasher safe and doesn’t cost that much. Plus you can use it to make casseroles in the Instant Pot too! You can also use a push pan with a removable bottom.

helpful tools for making cheesecakes in the Instant Pot

Sealing Ring

You will also want an Instant Pot sealing ring that you only use for desserts. The sealing rings absorb odors and it is very difficult to remove the odor when you’ve made something like beef stew.

You don’t want your cheesecake to taste like last week’s dinner. Different colored rings make it easy to keep one separate and only use it on desserts.

Sling

I also have a silicone sling/trivet which makes it easy to lift the pan in and out of the pressure cooker. The sling is convenient to have and I’m glad I bought it, but it is not essential. You can make a simple sling out of foil instead.

cheesecake with strawberry sauce in background

Key Ingredients

Cream cheese – Don’t buy low fat cream cheese for a cheesecake, because the consistency won’t be right. Cheesecakes are calorie laden and full of fat, that is why they are delicious.

Oreos – I like to make a cookie crust for my cheesecakes. You can also use chocolate graham crackers or almost any other kind of cookie that you like. Flavored Oreos like mint or red velvet would be a fun cheesecake variation. You can also skip the crust if you want to make this a gluten free dessert.

Chocolate chips – I use milk chocolate chips in this recipe. You can replace them with semisweet or dark chocolate if you prefer. Combining a couple different types of chocolate chips would also work.

Heavy cream – A cheesecake needs either heavy cream or sour cream to mix with the cream cheese and give it a nice texture.

The other ingredients you will need are butter, sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder and eggs.

cheesecake with whipped cream and strawberry sauce

How to Make Instant Pot Chocolate Cheesecake

1. Prep

Get the cream cheese and eggs out of the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for an hour or so before you make the cheesecake. This will help keep the batter smooth and creamy.

Take your springform pan and spray it with cooking spray. Get the Instant Pot ready by adding 1 cup of water to the bottom, putting a trivet or rack in it to elevate the cheesecake and putting an appropriate sealing ring on the lid.

If you don’t have a silicone sling make one out of aluminum foil. Take a long piece of foil (24 inches) and fold it into thirds to make a long narrow strip that will go under the springform pan so you can easily get the cheesecake in and out of the Instant Pot.

Doing this prep before you start making the batter will make the entire process much easier!

2. Melt the Chocolate

It is good if the chocolate cools slightly before it is mixed in, so melting it should be the first cooking step. Put the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat it for 30 seconds.

Then stir to help it melt. Put it back in for another 30 seconds and keep stirring until the chocolate chips are mostly melted. Add the heavy cream to the bowl of chocolate chips and stir again, until the mixture is smooth. Set it aside to cool briefly.

3. Make the Crust

Put the Oreo cookies in a food processor and pulse it to make cookie crumbs. Then melt the butter in the microwave and stir it into the cookie crumbs.

Put the crumbs in your prepared pan and use your fingers to press them down into the pan. Cover the bottom of the pan and go a little ways up the side.

Springform pan with Oreo crust

Put the pan with the crust in the freezer so it will firm up while you make the batter.

4. Make the Cheesecake Batter

In a mixer or food processor put the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and mix it until it is smooth and creamy. You don’t want there to be any lumps of cream cheese left.

mixing the cream cheese and sugar

Add the melted chocolate mixture from step #2 to the cream cheese along with the cocoa powder and mix it all until it is creamy.

adding the melted chocolate chips and cream

The eggs are added last. It is important not to mix them too much since over whipped eggs can cause the cheesecake to rise and go over the sides of the pan.

So just mix them enough to be just combined. Then take the Oreo crust out of the freezer and pour the filling into the pan.

filling in the springform pan

4. Cook the Cheesecake

Put a layer of foil over top of the springform pan and crimp it down. This will prevent water from getting into the cheesecake.

Put the sling under the cheesecake and lower it into the Instant Pot. Make sure you put the water and a rack in the pressure cooker in step #1!

putting the cheesecake in the instant pot

Put the lid on the pressure cooker and make sure the valve is closed. Then set it for Manual, high pressure, for 40 minutes. It will take about 10 additional minutes for it to reach pressure.

Once it is done cooking let the pressure release naturally which will take 20-30 minutes Then take the lid off.

Take the ends of the sling and carefully lift the foil covered cheesecake out of the pressure cooker. Put it on a cooling rack and take the foil off the top. There will probably be water on the foil, so be careful not to dump the water into the pan.

cheesecake after baking

My cheesecake top stuck to the foil in a few places, so it didn’t come out as smooth as I hoped. But I added whipped cream and my homemade strawberry sauce when I served it, and no one cared that top wasn’t perfectly flat!

Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for an hour. Then put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Leave the cheesecake in the springform pan until it has been in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Find More Instant Pot Recipes!

How to Serve

After 4 hours you can take the sides off the springform pan. Run a knife along the edges of the pan and then release the sides and lift them off.

Serve the Instant Pot chocolate cheesecake with your favorite topping, which will not only make it taste great but also hide any imperfections! My favorite cheesecake toppings:

How to Store

The cheesecake should be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 4-5 days.

piece of Instant Pot chocolate cheesecake

Tips

These are the most important tips that will ensure your cheesecake is amazing!

  • Use room temperature cream cheese and eggs. The texture of the cheesecake will be much better.
  • Don’t overmix the batter once the eggs are added.
  • Make the cheesecake a day before you plan to serve it so it has plenty of time to chill.

Find More Cheesecake Recipes

piece of Instant Pot chocolate cheesecake
5 from 2 votes

Instant Pot Chocolate Cheesecake

Published By Anne
This easy chocolate cheesecake is rich, creamy and delicious.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Pressure/Cooling Time4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time5 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Print Save Rate Pin

Ingredients
 

Crust

  • 18 Oreo cookies
  • 3 Tablespoon butter

Cheesecake Filling

  • 1 cup chocolate chips milk chocolate
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 packages cream cheese 8 oz each, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 2 eggs room temperature

Instructions

  • Get the cream cheese and eggs out of the refrigerator so they can come to room temperature.
  • Prepare the pressure cooker by putting 1 cup of water in the bottom of it. Then add a rack or trivet for the cheesecake to sit on. Make sure that an odor free sealing ring is in the lid.
  • Spray a 7 inch springform pan with cooking spray. Make sure the pan fits in your pressure cooker.
  • Put the 1 cup of chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl and heat it in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until it is melted. Then stir in the 1/2 cup of heavy cream and mix until it is smooth. Set this aside to cool slightly while you make the crust.
    1 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Put the cookies in a food processor and mix until it forms crumbs.
    18 Oreo cookies
  • Melt the butter in the microwave and stir it into the crumbs.
    3 Tablespoon butter
  • Pour the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan and use your fingers to push it on the bottom and up the sides a little bit.
  • Put the springform pan in the freezer to allow the crust to set while you make the filling.
  • In a mixer (or food processor) combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix until it is smooth and creamy.
    1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 packages cream cheese
  • Add the melted chocolate mixture you made earlier to the mixer bowl, along with the cocoa powder. Mix it all together until it is smooth.
    2 Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • The eggs are added last. Be careful not to overmix the eggs or it will make the cheesecake rise too much. Stir them until they are just combined.
    2 eggs
  • Take the crust out of the freezer and pour the filling into the pan. Add a piece of foil over the top to keep water out.
  • Use the sling to carefully lower the cheesecake into the Instant Pot and put it on top of the rack inside. Make sure you added the water in step #2!
  • Put the lid on and check that the valve is closed. Set the pressure cooker for Manual, high pressure, for 40 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for it to reach pressure.
  • Once it is done let the pressure release naturally, which will take 20-30 minutes. After all the pressure is gone take the lid off and set the cheesecake on a cooling rack. Remove the foil from the lid and let it cool at room temperature for about an hour.
  • Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before cutting and serving. I like to leave the cheesecake in the pan until I am ready to serve.
  • Top with whipped cream and strawberry sauce.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a sling use a long piece of foil folded into thirds to lift and lower the cheesecake.
  • Use room temperature cream cheese and eggs. The texture of the cheesecake will be much better.
  • Don’t overmix the batter once the eggs are added.
  • Make the cheesecake a day before you plan to serve it so it has plenty of time to chill.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 618IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition facts are estimates.

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chocolate cheesecake on a plate
long pin for pinterest chocolate cheesecake

anne

Hi, I’m Anne!

I love to cook and I want to share my recipes with you. I believe cooking should be approachable and fun, not a chore. I want to make simple recipes using everyday ingredients that you can make again and again, whether it is for a busy weeknight, a summer cookout or a special dessert. Read more...

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