Instant Pot Eggnog Cheesecake – made right in an Instant Pot. An easy-to-make rich, creamy eggnog cheesecake with a crisp gingersnap crust. A perfect cheesecake for the holidays!
Who knew you could make a perfect, delicious holiday eggnog cheesecake right in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker?!
This eggnog cheesecake recipe is a great dessert to have throughout the holidays.
This Instant Pot verse is so easy and delicious, you’ll have everyone asking for the recipe so make sure to bookmark this one.
If you like this recipe you may also like these recipes:
- Instant Pot Caramel Dip
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- No-Bake Snickers Cheesecake Bars
- Easy Creamy Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Spicy Turkey Meatballs
- Instant Pot Healthy Cinnamon Almond Steel Cut Oatmeal
Why do my ingredients need to be room temperature before mixing?
When making cheesecake, you want the batter to have a smooth texture. You don’t want lumps.
The best way to avoid those pesky lumps in your batter is to make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before starting.
Do to eggs being softer and more liquid than cream cheese, if the cheese is cold the egg and other ingredients will not blend with it, creating tiny lumps.
Make sure they come to room temperature on their own. If you decide you don’t have time to wait, place your cream cheese in warm water. Don’t microwave it. Microwaving cream cheese creates hot spots and can actually make your batter lumpier.
What will happen if I over mix the eggnog cheesecake batter?
This eggnog cheesecake is meant to be dense, rich and creamy. Over mixing the batter will unnecessarily incorporate air bubbles into the batter.
The batter is very thick before baking which makes it almost impossible for trapped air bubbles to escape. Air bubbles create a lighter cheesecake… not what we’re going for with this one.
If you happen to over mix the batter, you can tap it on the counter before or after pouring it into the pan. The more you tap the more air bubbles you’ll be able to release.
If you over mix the batter and don’t tap the bubbles out, it will still taste great, it will just be a little lighter.
How can I keep the gingersnap crust from going soft?
Adding a couple of tablespoons of flour to the crust mixture will help the crust stiffen. I prefer it this way. If you prefer a softer crust you can omit the flour in the crust.
Also, if you’re not a gingersnap or gingerbread fan you can make this eggnog cheesecake using a graham cracker crust.
Instead of using 120 grams of crushed gingersnap cookies you can replace those with graham crackers. The other ingredients will stay the same.
A note on the gingersnap cookie crust. I’ve used homemade ginger molasses cookies and I’ve used store-bought gingersnaps. Both work fine. This crust will turn out better if you use cookies that are crunchy. Avoid using super soft ginger cookies.
To speed up the process of making crushed cookies, I love using my BlendTec blender. I through all the cookies in and give it a couple of pulses. That’s it… cookie crumbs are ready!
If you don’t have a bender you can also use a food processor or a good old bag and rolling pin. The blender ready just speeds up the process.
I have a pressure cooker but not an “Instant Pot.” Can I still make this recipe?
YES! Any electric pressure cooker should give similar results and work just fine.
Make sure you follow the instructions and cook the cheesecake on HIGH pressure for 29 minutes with a natural release.
I’ve tried this recipe a half dozen times to perfect it. I’ve done a fast start using boiling water to lessen the cooking time and pressurize quicker, cooked it for a shorter amount of time, a longer amount of time, and released the pressure 10 minutes after the timer had beeped (the cheesecake cracks every time).
For me, high pressure for 29 minutes with a full natural release has proven to be the best method.
Is it normal to have moister or water on top of the eggnog cheesecake after I open the lid?
Yes, this is totally normal.
You will need to take a clean paper towel and gently dab the extra moisture and water off the top and around the rim of the pan.
When the timer beeps on my Instant Pot I immediately turn the pressure cooker off or unplug it (if left alone it will kick to “warm” and will depressurize much slower). I allow the cooker to depressurize naturally. It usually takes 10-15 minutes.
Once it’s naturally released I carefully remove the lid to avoid dropping any additional moisture on to the top of the cheesecake. Then, using a paper towel, dab any moisture off the cheesecake that may have collected after opening the lid.
This cheesecake is seriously a perfect holiday treat to have at any Christmas or holiday gathering!
If you’re an eggnog lover, you totally need to try it. If you’re an Instant Pot lover… you totally need to try it. It will be a crowd-pleaser for sure and looks beautiful!
What’s your favorite kind of cheesecake? What’s your favorite Instant Pot recipe?
I’d love to hear about your favorite recipes! Drop me a note in the comments!
Here’s the full printable recipe:
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 29 minutes
Additional Time: 4 hours 40 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 19 minutes
Made right in an Instant Pot. An easy-to-make rich, creamy eggnog cheesecake with a crisp gingersnap crust. A perfect cheesecake for the holidays!
Ingredients
Gingersnap crust
- 120 grams gingersnaps, about 1 cup crushed
- 2 T butter, melted
- 1 T brown sugar
- 1/8 t cinnamon
- 2 T flour
Eggnog cheesecake filling
- 16 oz cream cheese, room temp.
- 2 large eggs, room temp.
- 1/2 cup eggnog
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 T corn starch
- 1/2 t rum extract
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- 1/4 t nutmeg
- pinch of salt
Sweet whipped cream
- 1/4 cup cream
- 1/2 T powdered sugar
Instructions
Gingersnap crust:
- Combine crushed gingersnaps, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Using a fork, mix until dry ingredients are moist and will hold together. Press mixture into parchment-lined 7-inch springform or cheesecake pan. Set aside until cheesecake mixture is ready.
Eggnog cheesecake filling:
- Lightly beat cream cheese to break up. Add eggs, sugar, rum extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and cornstarch. Beat only until combined - don't over mix.
- Scrap side of bowl.
- Add eggnog. Mix only enough to make batter smooth. Don't over mix.
- Pour eggnog mixture onto gingersnap crust.
- Carefully tap pan with mixture in it onto counter or table to release any large air bubbles.
- Place wire rack in bottom of Instant Pot. Add 1 cup cold water.
- Using a tinfoil sling, carefully lower cheesecake into Instant Pot. Secure lid and set pressure release to close.
- Cook cheesecake for 29 minutes using manual high pressure. When timer beeps turn Instant Pot off. Let cheesecake natural release (depressurize and cool without manually releasing pressure. This takes 10-20 minutes.
- Once pressure has released, open lid carefully without dripping condensation from lid on cheesecake.
- Gently dab top of cheesecake with a paper towel to remove liquid that may be on the surface.
- Remove and set on wire rack to cool. Once it has cooled to room temperature, refrigerate for 2-4 hours. This will help it become firm.
- Pipe sweet whipped cream on top and sprinkle with cinnamon.
OP: 12.3.18 Updated: 10.19.19
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