Like everyone else out there, we got an Instant Pot on Black Friday from Amazon. I have heard great things about this little gadget and I could resist no longer. I will say it took me a little while to open it. With the holidays, our chocolate shop was swamped, and we just had no time. And I'll also say, it was a wee bit intimidating. There is something scary about a pot that can blow up at any moment! I know I'm not alone in that thought, right?!? But sooner or later, I had to break it in, and what better way than a mouthwatering, delicious triple chocolate cheesecake?
Cheesecake in the Instant Pot?
The day finally came after Christmas. I decided to give it a go. I read the instruction manual about 100 times. I can probably still recite it (it's not that much info). I then went for the water test to make sure it heated up properly and there were no issues. All was good so far. Now, what to cook?
Everyone said how easy cheesecake was, so I figured why not. The first cheesecake I made was a New York-style topped with caramel and pecan brittle bark. I was amazed at how easy it was and how perfectly cooked it was. Hmmm, I thought. What else could I try? Of course, chocolate things are always the goal for me, so I figured why not try an easy chocolate cheesecake recipe in the instant pot. I did some research and saw a recipe in The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book for chocolate cheesecake. I gave it a go. It was good but needed a few modifications, like more chocolate. After some testing, we came up with the instant pot triple chocolate cheesecake.
Ingredients in Instant Pot Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
The ingredients in this are pretty simple. The best advice I can give is to use the best chocolate you have access to. It really does make the flavor so much better. We use Valhrona for almost everything.
- Oreo cookies
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese
- Dark brown sugar
- White sugar
- Whole egg
- Egg yolk
- Sour cream
- 53 - 60% chocolate
- Vanilla extract
- Flour
- Cocoa powder
- Chocolate
- Whipping cream
What Does Cocoa Percentage Mean?
This is the weight of the bar that comes from cocoa butter and cocoa liquor. Which combined is cocoa mass. We will call this the cacao content. So if we are using a 65% chocolate, that tells me that 35% of the chocolate comes from non chocolate items. That could be things like cane sugar, milk powder, vanilla.
There is More to it Than Just a Percentage of Chocolate
The difference in percentages doesn't tell you anything about the quality of beans, or how they were processed. Fermentation, drying and roasting are just as important as the percentage of cocoa solids to bring out those beautiful flavor notes!
If you're not sure which chocolate to buy, don't just think of the cocoa content when making your decision. The taste of a bar can vary depending on what kind of palate you have and how high quality the beans are. No matter how high or low the cocoa percentage on a bar of chocolate, your taste buds will do just fine picking out whether it's delicious or not.
How to Make the Triple Chocolate Cheesecake With Oreo Crust
The steps to make this Triple Chocolate Cheesecake are quite simple. We mixed the ingredients in a food processor, but you could easily use a blender.
- Combine crushed Oreos and melted butter to form a crust. Press into the springform pan and freeze for 10 minutes.
- Combine cream cheese with your sugars and cocoa powder. Once combined, add eggs one at a time. Add the melted chocolate and sour cream. Pulse to continue to combine the ingredients.
- Scrape down the bowl and add vanilla and flour. Mix until creamy and then pour into your springform pan on top of your crust.
- Pour two cups of water into the bottom of the instant pot and lower in your springform pan using a tinfoil sling.
- Cover and set to seal and cook at high pressure for 28 minutes. Note: This does not include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to reach full pressure.
- Allow for a 15-minute natural pressure release before opening the instant pot and removing the cheesecake.
- Cool overnight in the fridge before topping with ganache and serving.
FAQ
1. Make a tin foil sling.
2. Get a piece of foil about 21 inches long. Fold it in thirds length wise like you would a letter.
3. It's now ready to use for lifting the cheesecake in and out of the instant pot.
4. If you don't want to make a tin foil sling, you can easily grab a nice silicone one that should last you the life of your instant pot.
1. The middle needs to be set.
2. You are looking for an internal temperature of about 150° Fahrenheit.
3. Use an instant read thermometer for this or go with the jiggle test.
Here is where creativity comes into play. Your cheesecake will be covered in chocolate so you don't really see that much. But if you don't want the ganache topping, you could cover it with whipped cream or even berries.
Yes you can! Most cheesecakes will last about a month in the freezer. You can freeze it whole or cut it in slices for easier access when you are ready.
1. Allow your cheesecake to cool completely.
2. Slice and wrap with plastic wrap. If you are keeping it whole, just wrap with the plastic.
3. Once it's wrapped in plastic, then wrap a second time, but with foil.
4. Most important, when you are ready to eat the cheesecake allow to thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours, or leave in refrigerator overnight.
Can I Bake In The Oven If I Don't Have An Instant Pot?
Yes, you can. Place cheesecake in a 325° Fahrenheit preheated oven in a water bath. Be sure to wrap your springform pan with foil to prevent any water from seeping in. Cook for about 60 minutes and start checking for doneness. You are looking for an internal temperature of 150° Fahrenheit. It could take up to 70 minutes, depending on your oven.
Special Equipment Needed to Make Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Obviously this recipe requires an Instant Pot.
We also used a 7-Inch Round Springform Pan
. These are the only special requirements for this recipe.
This is over the top decadent. Super rich and a little goes a long way. But soooooo good! We have now made four chocolate cheesecakes, and everyone I know has broken all New Year resolutions for weight loss.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Happy New Year!
"Wow. This recipe was not at all difficult and it turned out perfectly. Really, really delicious! I’d had mixed success with cheesecakes in the oven before. This was too easy. I should add that the quality of ingredients makes a difference. I used 63% Scharffen Berger chocolate. Do use a quality chocolate as the chocolate flavor really is front and center in the final product. I followed the recipe exactly as written (used Fat Daddio’s 7-inch removable bottom pan) and it was flawless. Keeper for sure." ~Chris
More Cheesecake Recipes You'll Love:
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I Just Want to Watch, Where is the Video?
If you would like something other than ganache on top we made a Raspberry Mousse Chocolate cheesecake, and if chocolate isn't your thing at all, we also have a pumpkin cheesecake in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 20 whole Oreo cookies
- 4 tablespoon of unsalted butter melted then cooled
Cheesecake
- 1 lb room temperature cream cheese (At least 2 hours at room temp)
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 whole egg - room temperature
- 2 egg yolks - room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 8 oz chocolate 53% - 60% Melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Ganache
- ¾ cup chocolate
- 3 oz heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Spray the 7" springform pan with cooking spray.
- Add two cups of water to the instant pot and place the rack on the bottom.
- Make a tin foil sling to lift the cheesecake in and out of the instant pot.
Crust
- In a food processor combine the whole Oreo cookies and the butter.
- Pour the crumb butter mixture into the bottom of the pan and pat until even and going up the sides of the pan. Put in freezer for 10 minutes.
Cheesecake
- In a food processor, mix the cream cheese with dark brown and white sugar, and cocoa powder.
- Once combined, add one egg followed by the 2 egg yolks.
- Add the melted chocolate and sour cream.
- Continually scrape the bowl down. Add vanilla flour and mix until creamy.
- Pour mixture into the springform pan and smooth with a spatula.
- Place pan on the tin foil sling and slowly lower into the Instant Pot.
- Set Instant Pot to maximum pressure for 28 minutes.
- Once done, turn machine off and let it return to normal pressure for 15 minutes.
- Unlock lid and use sling to transfer pan to cooling rack for an hour.
- Chill in refrigerator overnight.
Ganache
- Put the ¾ cup of chocolate in a bowl.
- Heat the heavy whipping cream to a simmer. Pour over chocolate.
- Chocolate will melt, stir until incorporated. Once incorporated, use a spatula and spread over the top of the cake.
- Put back in refrigerator to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
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Colleen Schneider says
Thank you. This turned out fantastic! I am a long time baker. I have made many cheesecakes that took 2 or 3 hours, sitting in closed oven after an hour of baking, then cooling an hour. This was up there with one of the best! I could not beleive how fast and easy... and really we don't need a 10" cheesecake talking to us for two weeks!
serena says
I'm so glad this worked out for you Colleen. Boy do I know what you mean about having a 10" cheesecake in the fridge. Enjoy 🙂
Christina Freeman says
For the cheesecake batter instructions it says to use a food processor to mix. What setting on the food processor and for how long? And chocolate garnish did you use for the finished product?
TIA,
Christina
serena says
Just pulse the batter until combined. Don't overmix, it will change the texture a bit. The chocolate garnish is just chopped chocolate. Use whatever is your favorite.
Kenda says
I have done this one in a 7 in springform and it turned out perfect with an extra few minutes cooking time. I’m in Canada and not sure how the whole sea level thing works up here, which is what I figured the timing issue to be. So now I would like to do an 8inch but do
1 1/2 times the recipe to make a good sized cake for a family function. Can you possibly give me an estimate for cooking time with bigger recipe and pan?? Thanks!
Louise says
I’m planning to make this tomorrow. There’s only 2 of us, and my husband isn’t as fond of chocolate as I am. Can this be frozen?
serena says
Sure you can freeze this.
Lana says
I froze this just so I wouldn't eat it too quickly! Only problem is, it tastes great frozen too. LOL! But we were able to make it last a week, and I only did a half recipe in a 6" pan. This is wonderful. I've made it twice and loved both of them.
Tara says
Please tell me what I’m doing wrong! I followed directions exactly and ended up cooking it three times for a total of 80 minutes!
serena says
Not really certain what is going wrong. Sounds like an IP problem. I'd double check you have the valve on sealing and not venting when cooking.
Joycekk says
I made this in 8 half-pint jars today. I pressure them on high for 6 minutes and a NPR for 10 minutes. Delicious!
serena says
Awesome! I was wondering how they would do in the jars! Thanks so much for sharing
Joycekk says
How would you adapt the pressuring time this to making in ½ pint jars?
Heather says
Just made this today! It’s cooling in the pan on a rack and looks great. Question: do I take it out of the pan before putting it into the refrigerator or is that the last step before the ganache? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it tomorrow.
serena says
Last step before the ganache
Heather says
Thanks! That’s what I figured but I know very little about cheesecake or springform pans ha. It came out amazing! My mom said it was the best cheesecake she’s ever had! Thanks so much for the awesome recipe.
Brijitte says
This recipe looks amazing and it is cooking in my IP right now. Only question I have that I did not find in previous comments or questions is do you use NPR after the 15 minutes on normal or quick release?
serena says
NPR is good for the release.
Lorie Powell says
Great recipe. Got rave reviews. Can't wait to try other recipes11
serena says
Thanks so much!
Desiree says
This was the first cheesecake I've ever made and the first time I've used my IP. I've been told it came out dry for me. Any ideas on what I could have done wrong?
serena says
Gosh, hard to say. Could be many things. I'd give it another try. Make sure not to overmix the ingredients. Are you using the same size pans and the same instant pot model?
Jean Melvin says
Hi Serena, I was wondering what setting did you put in on, manual or steam setting, and did you put it on sealing or venting? I have a small, medium and large spring form pans, do I use the smallest one??? Or medium one....They came in packages of three...Can't wait to try a cheese cake my favorite dessert! I have the 6 quart size instant pot! It's a little over a year old now, I use it everyday for meals but have never tried a dessert. Can't wait! thanks Jean
serena says
Hi Jean,
We used manual max pressure. Sealing not venting. The recipe called for a 7" springform pan, not sure which sizes you have in the three pack. I'd go for as close to 7" as you can and you will need to adjust cook time if you are using a different size. Enjoy 🙂
Cindy says
So excited to make this for my family for Valentine's Day. What garnish did you add on top of the ganache for the photo? That just tops it off and adds another level to it!
serena says
Just some shaved chocolate. Enjoy!
Lana says
I had planned to make this cheesecake in my little Mini Instant Pot (3 qt) and take it to our Super Bowl party. But it snowed and the party was cancelled, so I didn't go to the store to get the rest of the ingredients. Then I couldn't get the darn thing out of my head, so I made it and improvised. I only had one package of cream cheese, so I halved the recipe. It was the perfect size for my 6" pan. I did not have any sour cream or whipping cream, but I did have some fat free half and half, so I used that to substitute for both. I didn't have chocolate cookies, but I did have some left over vanilla wafers. I used them and added a handful of slivered almonds as I crushed them in the food processor. I just ate a piece and it is MARVELOUS. I hadn't read carefully enough so when I opened it and there was some water on top, I didn't know what to do and just left it. It went away and nothing was soggy. I'm guessing it was absorbed? I may have also used Splenda blend brown sugar, but since I was very unorganized and have both the regular and the blend in my cupboard in plain plastic bags, I don't know for sure. LOL! Oh, and I didn't try to do a half egg. I just used one egg and one egg yolk. I have pictures, but I don't see that I can attach a picture.
serena says
Oh my gosh! Thanks so much for my smile today 🙂 This is what cooking is all about, trial and error and experimenting! Love it!
Dan says
Hi there. I just made this triple chocolate cheesecake and it's in the instant pot as I type.... my question is "maximum pressure" does that mean high pressure then select " more "? If so this may be the issue people are having with it not being cooked after the 28 mins.??
serena says
Yes high pressure. Possibly, but I can't be certain without seeing what someone is doing wrong to begin with. If I were to guess (just a guess) I'd say they are wrapping the foil too tight on the top of the cheesecake to prevent water. If wrapped tight like a lid, it will require longer cooking time.
Penny says
Did you use the Manual setting?
serena says
Yes, manual setting on high pressure
Tammy says
So you didn't cover the cheesecake before putting it into the IP? I just made my first one 2 days ago and I am going to do yours next but all of my research recipes had various different tricks to keep the water off of it. (mine said to put a paper towel over it and then cover loosely w/foil).
And I have the pushpin (Fat Daddio's so I can't loosen the ring. Should I pour the chocolate topping over the cake while it is still in the pan or take it out first. I can even put some parchment around it after it cools for a border if you don't think I should do it in the pan.
Thanks. The picture is just beautiful. I have guests coming next week and they are both HUGE chocolate/ raspberry lovers...I am going to add raspberries on top for a garnish. YUM
Tammy says
Did you just put the cheesecake IN the water or use a trivet?
serena says
Use the trivet
serena says
Yes you can cover the cheesecake loosely with foil before putting in the IP to keep some of the water off. Then when done cooking, if any water use a paper towel to dab any moisture off. I'm not familiar with the pushpin pan but I would take it out of the pan once cooled then put the topping on.
ellie says
I made this in an 8 qt, 1200 watt duo and a 6qt 1000 watt duo plus ... cooked faster in the eight quart (which requires 500ml water instead of a cup) ... so timing is something that we tweak on our own over time ... this was delicious ... did not want to share ... maybe next time I will make it mocha and then it will be mine all mine!😂
serena says
So glad it worked out for you! I have that same problem and I don't usually want to share 🙂
Joli says
Can you make the cheesecake w/o an instant pot? Don't haven & am not going buy one.
serena says
Yes, you could bake it. Since I haven't tried this recipe in the oven I'm not sure a total cook time for it. But I'd put a pan of water into the oven to create the moisture and cook it until done. Possibly 45 min to an hour. Test for doneness as you bake.
Kristina says
This is a fantastic recipe. Definitely don't do it in a 6" pan. Ha! It will overflow. Not a lot and it is a lot easier to clean up then the bottom of the oven. It did take an extra 5 minutes on high pressure. I could have done it in my 8" pan but I wanted a tall cheesecake. With the ganache you can't see the top anyway. 🙂 I will invest in a 7" pan now.
serena says
Ha! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂