Keto Instant Pot Cheesecake is extra creamy and delicious! And this low carb lemon cheesecake is so smooth and rich. It’s the perfect sugar-free dessert for lemon lovers. Oven instructions included.
I often forget how much I like lemon desserts. Being the chocoholic that I am, I will reach past the sweet lemon treats for the gooey dark stuff. Keto chocolate cake or rich keto chocolate mousse almost always wins out.
But one bite of something like this keto instant pot cheesecake and it all comes rushing back to me. That bright lemony flavor just dances on your tongue.
And once you try making keto cheesecake in a pressure cooker, you may never make it any other way again! But just in case, I’ve included oven-baking instructions too.
Keto Instant Pot Cheesecake
There is some sort of magic that occurs when cooking cheesecake in a pressure cooker. It’s not really any easier than oven-baked cheesecake, but the consistency is simply amazing. It’s so creamy and dense, and less prone to cracking or sinking.
I have a few other flavors as well, including keto pecan pie cheesecake and cookies and cream cheesecake. Every time I bake cheesecake in an Instant Pot, it turns out perfectly.
This keto lemon cheesecake came out so beautifully, I found I didn’t want to dress it up with anything but a little whipped cream and some long strands of lemon zest
Ingredients
Keto instant pot cheesecake requires the same basic ingredients as regular cheesecake. You will need:
- Almond flour (see Frequently Asked Questions for alternatives)
- Powdered sweetener
- Butter
- Lemons (juice and zest)
- Cream cheese
- Lemon extract
- Eggs
- Heavy whipping cream
- Salt
How to make keto lemon instant pot cheesecake
Putting together the crust and the filling is similar to an oven-baked cheesecake. However, you do have to take some extra precautions to make sure no water leaks into the cake during cooking. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
Prepping the cake
- Use the right size pan: Cooking cakes in an Instant Pot requires a 7-inch pan to fit inside properly. They aren’t too expensive and that smaller size is useful for other recipes too.
- Prep the crust: This is an almond flour crust but you can use any nut or seed meal instead. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom.
- Use powdered sweetener: I use Swerve Confectioners the crust, the filling, and the topping, as it helps eliminate any grittiness. You can add up to 1 cup in the filling, depending on how sweet you like it.
- Lemon zest, lemon juice, AND lemon extract: Too much lemon juice will result in thin filling that won’t set. The addition of the zest and the extract provide the best flavor.
- Add some egg yolks: You could just use two whole eggs, but the yolks give the cheesecake a natural yellow color.
- Don’t over-beat: As with any cheesecake, it’s important to mix in the eggs and cream until just combined. Over-beating whips too much air into a cheesecake filling, causing it to rise more rapidly, and then fall and crack.
Cooking the cheesecake
- Wrap the pan in foil: This step is absolutely critical so don’t even think about skipping it. You need to wrap the bottom of the pan tightly so water doesn’t get forced into the seam between the bottom and the sides of the pan.
- Top with some paper towel and more foil: The paper towel layer helps absorb any moisture that sneaks in there, but you don’t want it to touch the top of the cake. Then you wrap more foil around the top to provide another layer of protection.
- Prepare the pot: Add a cup of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot and set the trivet in there. Carefully lower the foil-wrapped pan onto the trivet (or use a trivet with handles).
- Cook on manual high: Every Instant Pot is a bit different so cooking on manual allows us all to use the same function.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally: Don’t vent the lid when cooking is complete, simply allow the pressure to release naturally. The cake will continue to cook in this state.
- Chill the cake: Once the Keto Instant Pot Cheesecake is done, remove the foil and paper towel, allow to cool completely, and the refrigerate 3 hours until set.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have included oven-baking instructions in the Notes section of the recipe. If you use a larger pan (8 or 9 inches), you will need to double the crust and the cheesecake will bake through faster.
You can but if you use allulose in the filling, you may find that it takes much longer to set properly in the fridge.
Yes, you absolutely do. Pressure cookers create a high pressure environment that can force moisture into the pan. If you don’t wrap it thoroughly, moisture will get into the seams at the bottom or in through the top and make it very soggy.
You bet! Just add a bit more cream to the fill-in (2 to 3 tablespoons) and some vanilla extract.
Storage Information
Store the cheesecake in the fridge, tightly wrapped, for up to a week. You can also freeze it for up to a month. I recommend leaving the whipped cream topping off until the cake is thawed.
More awesome keto lemon recipes
- Keto Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Greek Lemon Chicken
- Keto Lemon Curd
- Keto Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Lemon Glazed Donuts
- Salmon with Lemon Dill Butter
Keto Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup (53 g) almond flour
- 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
- 2 tbsp (2.03 tbsp) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/8 tsp (0.13 tsp) salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp (1.52 tbsp) butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 lb (453.59 g) cream cheese, well softened
- 2/3 cup (121.33 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener, (more if you like it sweeter)
- 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (2.03 tbsp) heavy whipping cream
Garnish
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp (1.01 tbsp) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- Lemon zest or lemon slices
Instructions
Crust
- Line the bottom of the springform pan with a circle of parchment paper cut to fit. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, lemon zest, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture begins to clump together.
- Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan and set aside.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then beat in the sweetener. Then beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract until well combined.
- Add the egg and egg yolks, and beat in until just combined, then beat in the whipping cream until just combined. Do not overbeat.
- Pour the filling over the crust and gently shake the pan back and forth to even out the top.
To cook
- Wrap the bottom of the springform pan tightly in a large piece of foil. Place a piece of paper towel over the top of the springform pan (not touching the cheesecake) and then wrap foil around the top as well. Your whole pan should be mostly covered in foil to keep out excess moisture.
- Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pressure cooker. Set the cheesecake on the trivet and carefully lower into the pot. (You can also simply use the trivet that came with your IP and lower the cheesecake in by hand).
- Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to manual mode for 35 minutes on high. Once the cooking time is complete, let the pressure to release naturally (do not vent it).
- Lift out the cheesecake and let it cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for 3 or 4 hours, or even overnight.
Garnish
- In a medium bowl, whip the cream with the sweetener until it holds stiff peaks. Pipe decoratively or spread on the top of the cheesecake.
- Decorate with lemon zest or lemon slices.
Video
Notes
- No need to wrap the pan in foil.
- You may also want to bake the bottom crust for 10 minutes at 325F to help it firm up.
- Bake the cheesecake at 300F for at least 30 minutes. Check on it every 5 minutes after that. Because I did not try this in the oven, I can’t tell you exactly how long it will take to bake.
- The edges should be set but the center should still jiggle slightly when the pan is shaken.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I found this recipe and decided to try and make my first instant pot cheesecake. It definitely did not disappoint! I personally didn’t need the lemon extract, but that’s the only thing I didn’t follow. Had some blueberries that needed to get eaten so I made a compote to top it off. Thanks for a great recipe!
Made at the fire station HUGE hit! Thank you!
Great to hear!
Oh my yum!! I made this today for Mother’s Day! ???? Everyone loved it! Won’t be the last time I make this lemon cheesecake, for sure!
Happy Mother’s Day!
This looks delicious!! I am just a little confused though on the number of carbs per serving. I put the recipe into the recipe calculator that I have on my phone, and according to that it has 24.55 grams of carb, .82 grams of fiber, 27.71 total fat, 6.13 grams of protein, 287 calories per slice. I know that you subtract the fiber from the total carbs, but what am I missing? Thanks!!
Your recipe calculator is counting the carbs in Swerve… which have zero carb impact and should not be counted. Please read the nutritional disclaimer at the bottom of the post.
Do you think I use coconut milk (cream part) instead of HWC? Hoping it won’t change the flavor since its just 2T.
I think that should be fine.
Thank you! I’m so looking forward to making this! Happy Easter!
Sorry but what is HWC?
Heavy whipping cream. It’s a common short form in keto circles.
We had the lemon cheesecake for dessert tonight and it was perfect! A small piece goes a long was in lemon flavor & creamy goodness! The hardest part is not the 3-4 hour chill, but definitely not eating the whole cake at once. Lol Thanks for sharing!
That’s the tough part with ALL cheesecake!
This sounds terrific but my IP is just 3 quart. Would this work in a 6 inch pan that fits my IP or would the pan not be big enough?
You would have to adjust the amounts for your pan size.
I love that you can make cheesecake in the instant pot! This is our new go-to recipe!
This is such an incredible dessert! My husband loved it! I am definitely making it again!
This is a dreamy dessert! So fluffy and light, this was one that I will be making again and again!
Cheesecake newbie here!
I didn’t see where there were notes to parbake the crust, which I thought was odd and I skipped it. Fingers crossed.
When should the foil be removies? As soon as it comes out of the IP?
I decided to remove foil right away. I have some slight cracking around the edges and it looks jiggly. Is that normal?
This was fabulous, as are all of Carolyn’s recipes that I’ve tried. I honestly haven’t yet made one of her recipes that I didn’t like. This time I also made her lemon curd and spread it in a thin layer on top of the lemon cheesecake. Lemon heaven !!
Thanks!
Made this luscious lemon cheesecake today, I did add a bit more fresh lemon juice and used only 1/2 cup xylitol sweetener (what I had on hand). I did bake the crumb for 10 minutes as you suggested then in the oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. I think I added 15 minutes extra in 5 minute increments after that. I divided the mixture in 4 oven safe glass bowls, they measured 4 1/2 inches across the top. My husband was so excited to try this new Keto cheesecake and he declared it a winner! He added fresh blackberries and one big strawberry cut up with some whipped cream. Yum Yum!
Question: presumably this can be made in a standard pressure cooker, rather than IP? Has anyone tried?
I would think so but just in case, I would Google it and see what people with standard pressure cookers suggest.
Yes,you can use a traditional pressure cooker instead of an IP,works just as well with the same timing. I’m actually waiting on 1 to finish cooking now! ☺️
I have to make this recipe as it sounds delicious. I didn’t have a recipe for a lemon cheesecake so I must try this one. I have been making cheesecakes in the instantpot for a couple of years now.. mostly chocolate or plain or pumpkin or coconut in either 6″ or 7″ springform pans. I must admit I have never covered the bottom of the pans with foil or the tops. I have never had a problem with water coming in & if I get water on the top I just blot with water gently with a paper towel. I do use the Fat Daddio cheesecake pan with removable bottom either the 6″x3″ or 7″x3″ size. I also cut out a piece of parchment paper to put on bottom for easy removal. When I try your cheesecake I will make it the same way I always do & let you know the results. Maybe its because I don’t use the pans that have the springform type opening. I have not tried that type. I do love your recipes & am anxious to try this one.. Thank you
Thanks! Not all springform pans are created equal so some do allow moisture in through that seam.
Can u post the link to the pan you used?
It’s already linked right in the recipe.
This sounds so good. How would you make it without an Instant Pot?
Did you read the blog post/recipe?