The creamiest keto pumpkin cheesecake ever and it’s baked right in your Instant Pot! Easy to assemble and it cooks much faster than a traditional cheesecake. Rich pumpkin spice flavor and a sugar-free almond flour crust.
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I’m all in now on pumpkin spice. I am fully committed to the flavor of the season. I can’t seem to get enough. And while I already have several keto pumpkin cheesecake recipes, I am now coming out with this gorgeous Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake.
My Instant Pot made its way up from the storage shelves in the pantry recently. I had put it away for most of the summer, preferring my grill and my stovetop for warm weather cooking. But it is a very useful kitchen gadget, especially when it comes to comfort food season.
It’s not ideal for everything but it can significantly cut back on cooking time for soups, stews, and braised meats. A couple of my favorite recipes include the Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup, the Creamy Keto Salsa Chicken, and the easy Instant Pot Pulled Pork.
But one of the things I like cooking most in the Instant Pot? Cheesecake. It’s amazing, how creamy and rich it is. Something about that intense steam cooking is ideal for a dense and rich recipe like cheesecake.
How to cook cheesecake in an Instant Pot:
This keto pumpkin cheesecake is my third instant pot cheesecake, but trust me, it won’t be my last. My first attempt was another seasonal favorite, my Keto Pecan Pie Cheesecake. I was blown away by the remarkably creamy texture, so I quickly followed that up with an Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake and was met with the same creamy consistency.
To bake a cheesecake in an Instant Pot rather than an oven, you need a few special items:
- An Instant Pot (d’uh!)
- A springform pan that fits inside an Instant Pot: this one that’s 7 inches in diameter works well, but 8 inches is too big.
- Plenty of foil for wrapping the cake up well, to keep out the moisture.
- A piece of paper towel, to set overtop as an additional barrier against the moisture.
- Good flexible oven mitts for lifting your hot cheesecake pan out of the pressure cooker. I like the Ove Glove style because they have individual fingers to allow you to get in around the pan.
Beyond that, you really just need the typical ingredients for any low carb cheesecake. Keep in mind, you use less of them because it results in a smaller cake.
For this Instant Pot pumpkin cheesecake, I used almond flour for the crust (Bob’s Red Mill, of course!), with some sweetener and some spices.
I did something a little different with the filling this time, as I had some mascarpone that was nearing its expiration date. So I beat that with some cream cheese, some pumpkin puree, and some pumpkin pie spice. You can use all cream cheese, if you prefer. Either way, it will be amazing!
How to garnish your Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake
You know pumpkin and caramel go together like peanut butter and jam, right? So you’ve got to make my sugar-free caramel sauce to drizzle over top.
But a little bit of lightly sweetened whipped cream is lovely too. I am the worst cake decorator, to be honest, but some whipped cream and a star shaped decorating tip, and even I can make a beautiful cake.
Can you make Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake ahead?
You bet! Like any cheesecake, this can be refrigerated for up to 6 days. Keep it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container to keep it from drying out and from picking up other odors from your fridge.
If you want to freeze the cake, don’t put any caramel sauce or other garnish on it. Again, wrap it up tightly to keep it as fresh as possible, and it can last up to 6 months.
If you’re worried about ruining the cake before wrapping it up, one trick is to flash freeze it first. Simply place it on a cookie sheet in the freezer, unwrapped, until it’s frozen solid (a few hours). Once it’s completely firm, you can wrap it easily without crushing or smooshing.
Can you make this Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake in the oven?
Absolutely. While I haven’t tried this particular recipe in the oven, here are my best suggestions:
- Set the oven temperature to 300F, which is the standard for cheesecake.
- Grease the sides of your pan before pouring in the filling. The instant pot cheesecake doesn’t need this because of the way it cooks with pressure. But it’s good practice for baked cheesecakes.
- This is smaller than most cheesecakes so I would imagine that 4o to 50 minutes would be sufficient. But I would start checking at 30 minutes, and keep checking every 5 minutes after that.
- Your cheesecake is done when it’s set around the sides but still has a little jiggle in the middle.
Ready to make this delicious keto Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake?
More Great Keto Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Keto Breakfast Casserole
Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops
Instant Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch salt
- 1 ½ tablespoon butter, melted
Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ cup Swerve Brown
- 6 tablespoon pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
Topping:
- ½ recipe Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce (optional)
- lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
Crust:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, spices, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture begins to clump together.Press into the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan.
Filling:
- Beat together the mascarpone and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sweeteners until well combined.
- Add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Add the egg and beat until just combined.
- Pour the filling over the crust and spread to the edges.
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.
- Place the rack that came with your Instant Pot or pressure cooker into the bottom. Pour a cup of water into the bottom. Carefully lower the wrapped cheesecake pan onto the rack.
- 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.
- Once chilled, run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan and loosen the pan sides. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream and caramel sauce, if desired.
Norma S says
I made this yesterday and put it in the freezer so that nobody eats it before Thanksgiving 😉 I have never used mascarpone cheese before but oh my! The cheesecake batter tasted so smooth and buttery, I can’t wait to taste it after the flavors have melded more! I added 3 minutes (only because when I made the lemon cheesecake, the center was a tad bit undercooked and was better after chilling in the fridge overnight) to the cook time and it came out just fine. I also made the Pecan Pie cheesecake (in the freezer as well 🤪)
Carolyn says
Enjoy!
Emmy says
This recipe is delicious, but the cook time needs longer than the suggested 35 minutes. I suggest 60 minutes with a natural release. My cheesecake was still mush after 35 min cook time and an hour natural release, on high pressure manual mode. I just put it back in for an additional 30 minutes and will let it natural release once again. Hopefully it cooks evenly and doesn’t crack since I’m guessing since the written cook time was inaccurate. I do not live in a high altitude area to cause the cook time to be iffy either.
Carolyn says
No, it’s not inaccurate. It’s exactly as I tested it. So there are two possibilities here. 1. You used a different sweetener which changes things a lot. Or 2. your pumpkin was thin and had too much moisture in it.
Jane says
Could you make this without the crust?
Carolyn says
Sure… line your pan with parchment to get it up easily!
Cheryl says
This recipe is so simple and delicious! Adding to our holiday treats menu!
Caryn says
Can I use pecan flour instead of almond flour?
Carolyn says
Sure, that works!
Caroline says
I don’t have brown or molasses. Can I add some caramel flavour instead?
Carolyn says
Sure thing!
John Willis says
How are you determining your carb count? Since 1/4 cup of Swerve Brown is 48g and 1/4 cup powdered Swerve is 36g, the recipe comes out to 12.15 grams per slice, a far cry from the 3.23g your nutrition facts shows.
What am I missing here?
Carolyn says
You are missing the nutritional disclaimer at the bottom of every blog post. Erythritol has zero carb impact and should not be treated as a regular “carb”.
Rhessa Hanson says
Can regular cream cheese be subbed for marscapone in this recipe?
Carolyn says
Yes it can.
Suzanne Hindman says
Mine was grainy…a problem I’ve never had with the lemon cheesecake. Could it have been the brown Swerve? Thanks…tasty recipe!
Carolyn says
Mine wasn’t at all grainy so… I am not sure. Wish I could say.
hotmail says
I made this recipe last night and it came out amazing! My roommate is not a big pumpkin fan but he really liked it too! I’m going to make it again for a fall party I’m going to in a couple weeks!
Olga says
Just made this last night and sneaking it in as a spice cheesecake since the hubs really dislikes pumpkin 🙂
He tasted the bit that was in the knife as I released the cheesecake and loved it! Now for my question;
Do you use the caramel sauce all at once over the entire cheesecake or only as you serve per slice?
I was hoping to cut the cheesecake into portions while still as a whole and then pour the sauce over the entire thing. Not sure how it would affect the cheesecake over a few days as we consume it. What do you recommend? And TIA!