This Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake Recipe is so easy to make! Rich, creamy and zesty - this pressure cooker lemon cheesecake is the best!
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This Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake is the perfect easy dessert!
This lemon cheesecake has a tarty sweet taste and a dense and creamy consistency. It's perfect as is, but even better topped with whipped cream or fresh raspberries!
This Instant Pot Cheesecake has the perfect smooth and moist texture.
If you've never made dessert in your instant pot it's SO easy! Rather than having to turn on the oven, this lemon cheesecake is totally hands off! Let the instant pot do all the work! You’ll find waiting for the lemon cheesecake to set in the fridge or freezer to be the hardest step!
If you love lemon desserts, you have to try our Lemon Brownies or Easy Lemon Bars!
If lemon isn't your thing - check out our Instant Pot White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake, Instant Pot Oreo Cheesecake or Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake!
why we love these lemon cheesecake
- Delicious: Some of the best recipes are made with simple ingredients. Even though this recipe is made with only a few ingredients it’s loaded with flavor!
- No oven necessary: This cheesecake is perfect for the summertime because you don't have to turn the oven on
Pressure Cooker Cheesecake Ingredients
To make this lemon cheesecake in the instant pot you'll need:
- crushed graham crackers
- salted butter
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- lemon juice + lemon zest
How to Make this Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake
- Make the crust - Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper. Combine the graham crackers and butter and press firmly into the springform pan to form a crust. Place the pan in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- Make the cheesecake filling - Mix the cream cheese until smooth. Once smooth, add powdered sugar, eggs, and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.
- Add the lemon - Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix until just incorporated.
- Cook in the instant pot - Pour the mixture into the crust and place it on a trivet in your instant pot. Add one cup of water, cover the top of your springform pan with aluminum foil, and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
- Let it set - Once cooked, allow to naturally release and place in the freezer for 2 hours, or in the fridge for 4-6 to allow it to set completely.
- Serve - Garnish the top of the cheesecake with lemon zest and serve cold.
Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake FAQ
A crack in your cheesecake can occur during the cooking process or during the setting process. Your cheesecake may be cooling too quickly. If your cheesecake cracks in the freezer, try it in the fridge next time. However, if it continues to crack don’t worry because the Oreo crumbs on top will cover it up nicely.
The top of the cheesecake should have some firmness to the touch. If you move the pan and the top jiggles a little bit, you will want to give it some more time to set.
Easy No Bake Cheesecake Substitutions
Graham Cracker Crust: Other cookie/cracker options include Gingersnaps, Vanilla Wafers, or even Oreo Cookies. For the classic cheesecake flavor, stick with a Graham Cracker Crust. Nilla wafers work fantastically for this recipe. Simply grind them up and prepare the crust just as you would with graham crackers. Alternatively, you can also use Shortbread Cookies, Gingersnap Cookies, or even Oreos.
Salted Butter: Butter is essential to this recipe. We haven't tried it with dairy free butter but it might work!
Cream Cheese: We do not recommend substituting out the cream cheese.
Powdered Sugar: We haven't tried substituting powdered sugar. Brown sugar or white sugar will be slightly gritty and can ruin the texture of the cheesecake.
Eggs: Eggs are essential for getting your cheesecake texture rich and creamy!
Vanilla Extract: Helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
Fresh Lemon Juice/Zest: You can substitute lemon zest/juice with orange juice/zest or lime juice/zest.
How to Store Cheesecake:
Storing: You can store this lemon cheesecake recipe for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freezing: We don't recommend freezing instant pot lemon cheesecake.
More Cheesecake Recipes You'll Love
There's nothing better than a delicious slice of cheesecake! Here are some of our favorite cheesecake recipes:
Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups crushed graham crackers
- ¼ cup salted butter
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Instructions
- Line the bottom of a 7 inch spring form pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the crushed graham crackers and butter until well combined and then press firmly into the springform pan to form a crust. Place the pan in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix the cream cheese until smooth.
- Once cream cheese is smooth, add powdered sugar, eggs, and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix until just incorporated, you do not want to overmix this.
- Pour the mixture onto the chilled crust and cover with aluminum foil.
- Prepare your instant pot. Add one cup of water to the bottom of your instant pot. Place a trivet in your instant pot and place your covered spring form pan on top of the trivet.
- Cover your instant pot and set your instant pot to sealing, high pressure for 35 minutes. It will take about 5 minutes to come to pressure
- Once cooked, allow the pressure to naturally release (about 20 minutes)
- Place the cheesecake in the freezer for 2 hours, or in the fridge for 4-6 hours to allow to set completely.
- Garnish the top of the cheesecake with lemon zest and serve cold.
Notes
- Prevent cracks in your cheesecake - A crack in your cheesecake can occur during the cooking process or during the setting process. Your cheesecake may be cooling too quickly. If your cheesecake cracks in the freezer, try it in the fridge next time. However, if it continues to crack don’t worry because the Oreo crumbs on top will cover it up nicely.
- Level up your cheesecake with these toppings - Whipped cream is always an amazing addition to any cheesecake. You can also garnish the top with fresh strawberries or raspberries. Any of these will make a refreshing addition to the tartness of your lemon cheesecake.
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