A decadent keto chocolate cheesecake that’s made in the pressure cooker. No need to heat up an entire oven for this baked treat!
I’ve been trying to get more use out of my Instant Pot. It’s such a great appliance that’s being underutilized in my kitchen.
I’m definitely getting a better feel for pressure cooking, but I’m certainly no expert. A few weeks ago, I tried my first dessert recipe, a low carb keto chocolate cheesecake.
To make the recipe, you do want to have a small springform pan or push-up pan that fits in your electric pressure cooker. I used a push-up pan and just rested the pan on a tall can to push the bottom above the sides.
I got the tip for using a can from Jill at This Old Gal. She gives some great tips for baking a cheesecake in the Instant Pot here.
When I need advice on using the Instant Pot, I can usually find the information on Jill’s food blog. So, when I decided to bake a low carb keto chocolate cheesecake in the pressure cooker, This Old Gal was the first site I visited.
I’ve noticed a lot of other websites copying Jill without giving her the credit she deserves. This, unfortunately, happens a lot in the food blogging world.
There’s also a lot of bloggers getting accused of copying others when recipes are similar. I’m one of the bloggers that have been falsely accused as well as copied without attribution.
Most recipes are inspired by another recipe or a combination of recipes. This pressure cooker low carb keto chocolate cheesecake was adapted from one I saw on Southern Living.
I made changes to the original recipe based on information I found at This Old Gal as well as adapting the recipe to low carb. Since I’m avoiding erythritol, I replaced the sugar with concentrated sweeteners and unsweetened chocolate.
I’ve provided the equivalent amount of Swerve that could be used in place of the stevia and monk fruit. The texture of the cheesecake is definitely better when using erythritol.
Unfortunately, I’m sensitive to erythritol. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s typically made from corn which I have a sensitivity to.
If you don’t have any sensitivity to the erythritol in bulk sweeteners, I’d recommend using that in this keto chocolate cheesecake. Pyure and Sukrin are all great sweeteners to use if you don’t care for Swerve.
Overall, I’ve been pretty impressed with how easy it is to make things in the Instant Pot. I just wish I had more time to play around with it in the kitchen.
Because things cook quickly under pressure, you’ll want to be careful not to overcook the cheesecake. The first one I baked was in the cooker too long and ended up a bit too firm.
If you’d rather make a no bake cheesecake, give my low carb peanut butter cheesecake a try. Or, for a baked one, my blueberry swirl cheesecake pie is super rich and creamy.
Pressure Cooker Keto Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
Keto Chocolate Cheesecake Baked in Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons low carb sweetener or desired sweetener
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted
Filling:
- 16 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon stevia concentrated powder see note
- 1/2 teaspoon monk fruit powder see note
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 6 ounces baking chocolate melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust:
- Line bottom of 7" push or springform pan with parchment paper cut to size.
- In medium bowl, combine all dry crust ingredients then stir in melted butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan.
Filling:
- In food processor (or use electric mixer with large bowl), blend the cream cheese with the sweeteners and cocoa powder.
- Blend in large egg, then blend in egg yolks.
- Blend in sour cream, heavy cream, melted chocolate, and vanilla extract. Scrape sides of processor or bowl as needed.
- Pour cream cheese mixture on top of crust in pan. Smooth top with rubber spatula.
- Place rack in pressure cooker, then add in 1.5 cups of water.
- Make a foil sling and place over rack making sure ends are long enough to extend top of pressure cooker.
- Place cheesecake pan over sling and cover loosely with foil to prevent condensate dripping on top. Fold tops of sling loosely over cheesecake.
- Cover pressure cooker and set to maximum pressure for 20 minutes. When time is up, allow pot to sit for 15 minutes at natural pressure release.
- Open lid and use sling to lift cheesecake out and move to cooling rack.
- Allow to cool for an hour or so, then refrigerate for a couple hours before removing side of pan.
- For best results, the cheesecake should be allowed to sit overnight in the refrigerator.
- Serve close to room temperature for a softer texture.
Need Support?
Get our FREE Low Carb Tips eBook or join the Low Carb Yum Facebook Group for help with recipes and weight loss support!
Notes
Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
Lei says
Do you have a similar recipe that i can use in the oven? I dont have a pressure cooker.
Lisa MarcAurele says
I don’t have any other chocolate cheesecake recipes, but I do have regular baked cheesecake recipes. You’ll find them at: https://lowcarbyum.com/category/desserts/cheesecakes/
Doug says
I made this with high quality chocolate. It was exactly done.however it is far too rich (4 oz of baking chocolate is plenty) and barely any sweetness comes thru. My wife said it was like eating unsweetened cocoa powder. I threw the rest away
Lisa MarcAurele says
It’s a keto dessert so it should be rich with little sweetness. You can add more sweetener and cut back on the chocolate.
Kara says
Can I cut this recipe in half if I only have a 4″ springform? What would the cook time be?
Lisa MarcAurele says
It should work and the cook time will be less, but I’d have to test to get an accurate time.
Walt Z says
I made this for the holidays and the taste was really rich. However , I’m not sure what I could have done wrong but it came out dry almost like a cake like texture.
Any ideas where I missed something?
Thanks
Lisa MarcAurele says
It sounds like it may have been over cooked. Things do cook quick under pressure so just a slight change in time can make a difference.
Michael says
Just made this today for Christmas for me and it came out great! Really rich flavor (almost too much) but my wife and I really enjoyed it! As I only had a 6″ springform available (and it was full to the top) I used 30 mins at high pressure as some other comments have mentioned. Let it sit for an hour then in the refrigerator for 12 hours before eating .Came out great!
Lisa MarcAurele says
Thanks for sharing your experience with the chocolate pressure cooker cheesecake. Good to have more info on using a smaller 6″ pan.
Jeannie says
Just as a side note. I called the instant pot company today. They told me I need to always have TWO cups of liquid in the 8-quart pot. I have the instant pot duo 8 quarts. I would like to use my 8-inch springform pan how would that work? Do I need to cook it for a shorter time as its more watts then the smaller IP? I hard boiled eggs tonight as it was my first time using it. I cooked them on high pressure and for 5 min and they were perfect. I’m looking for hints and tips for the size I have.
Lisa MarcAurele says
I typically only add 1.5 cups of water in the regular 8-quart and it’s been fine. The bigger pan would definitely need a shorter cook time.
Aimée says
Wow! Lisa, thank you for sharing this recipe – it is nothing short of fabulous! I made it for Thanksgiving when we were also celebrating two birthdays. It is creamy, rich and tasted just as good as (in my opinion, even better than!) a typical high-carb cheesecake. It more than sated my craving for cheesecake. Love, love, love it!!!
Lisa MarcAurele says
Thanks for writing in to let us know how it worked out!
Bindi says
Can I ommit the crust part and just make the cheesecake, keeping the recipe exactly the same? I’m not a big fan of crust.
Lisa says
You can make it crustless if you prefer.
Victoria Ertl says
What size instapot did you make this in? Thank you!
Lisa says
I used a 6 quart.
Jenn says
I made it last night and just had my first piece – its fantastic. Cook time was right on. I placed a paper towel over the cheesecake, under the layer of tin foil and it helped with condensation. The small amount that did pool on top, I easily soaked up with a paper towel. I only had 4 oz of baking chocolate, but it still came out great. I cut it into 8 pieces, but its so rich, I can only eat a half of a piece at a time.
Lisa says
Thanks so much for the feedback Jenn. Good to know that 4 ounces of baking chocolate works out.
sharayah says
Hi, thanks for the recipe, I look forward to trying it!
I’m curious, you said you’re sensitive to erythritol–I am too, and it is the only food sensitivity I have. I googled it and came up with nothing. I was wondering what your reactions are like. If I eat it raw in cookie dough and then have a couple of the cookies I made, I get a noticeably faster heart rate and feel like i’m over-caffeinated and edgy. However, I don’t have digestive reactions to it. I’m in school studying Nutritional Therapy so this is of particular interest to me!
Thanks in advance for your time!
Sharayah
Lisa says
It causes bloating for me and sugar cravings. If I have too much I get gas. I do much better with the concentrated forms of stevia and monk fruit.
Natalie says
Wow this chocolate cheesecake looks absolutely perfect! I love the creamy dense texture ♥
Raquel says
DO the nutrition facts change if using erythritol?
Lisa says
It shouldn’t since the carbs in erythritol are non-impacting.
Rebecca Watkins says
Absolutely delicious! I should start by saying that I use recipes as a guideline, I always change them up a little. I used raw cacao powder in place of cocoa powder, because that’s what I had. I also subbed dark (72% cacao) chocolate for the melting, because that’s what I had. I’m more modified paleo than strict, so I used 3/4 cup of coconut sugar as the only sweetener. AND I did all mixing in my food processor, because I don’t have a stand mixer. After reading the comments I realized that my pressure cooker would need more time, so I cooked for 30 minutes. The condensation did make the top a little runny, so I placed into a 250 degree oven until the top was solid. Even with all those changes, this was a delicious, decadent Mother’s Day dessert enjoyed by low carb parents, sugar loving kids, and one skeptical grandpa. It paired well with berries, and tasted a lot like the Godiva dark chocolate cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. Can’t wait to make again.
Marian says
Can I substitute cocoa powder for baking chocolate? Would love to make this today but only have powder.
Lisa says
It’s worth a try. I know that 1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate is usually equivalent to 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon fat.
Gonzo says
I tried this recipe and the cooktime was off. I put it on high pressure for 20 minutes and natural release for 15 and it was raw. And the foil tent didn’t help keep condensation off, it just created its own. I finished it off in the oven but had to guess at cook time because I had no idea how cooked it was. It poofed up like a soufflé and then collapsed so looked awful. The taste was ok at least since I used very high quality chocolate. And the amount of ingredients for the crust wasn’t nearly enough. I multiplied by 1.5 and it was still a thin crust.
Lisa says
It needs to be a little jiggly in the middle or it will be overcooked.
Lonna says
Could you please let me know what Baker’s Chocolate you use in this recipe. Thanks
Lisa says
I like to use either Ghiradelli or an organic brand.
Lon says
thank you so much Lisa. I used that the 3rd time (after using bakers chocolate the other 2 times) and myself and my husband did not care for it I think it may have more to do with the cocoa powder than the chocolate. I used dark cocoa. But, I also use 100% chocolate. Did you also? I think the 1st time I used what i had. 85% Bakers.
Lisa says
I used 85% I believe. However, I like the bitter taste of dark chocolate.
Lonna says
OMG, this is the BEST cheesecake I have had, made from scratch. I used 3/4 cup Swerve powdered sugar as the substitute. I was not expecting it to be that good! I and my two daughters are doing Keto and they both loved it. You can easily cut the servings down as they are so rich. This one is a keeper and go to special dessert for us. Thanks for creating.
Sara says
What kind of baking choc do you use to keep it sugar free?
Lisa says
It’s the unsweetened kind.
Amber Huett says
Hi! This looks delicious, and I’m anxious to try it (mine will have to be done in the oven, though). I have one question about the sweetener subs, though. I will be using Swerve. Is the amount you listed as a substitute the total for both monk fruit AND stevia, or do I need to add that amount as a sub for each separately? Thanks!
Lisa says
Yes. The 3/4 cup in the note replaces both the monk fruit and stevia.
Lacie says
If I only have a 6 inch pan do I need to adjust the ingredients or cooking time?
Lisa says
It would be similar, but a 6 -inch will take a little longer.
Lacie Fitzpatrick says
Thanks! I ended up cooking for 35 minutes and it was perfect. A little extra done on the top layer but I like it like that 😁
Catherine Voci says
One question is the middle supposed to jiggle or should I have cooked it a little longer in the IP?
Lisa says
The middle should have a little jiggle otherwise it’s overcooked.
Ultraman says
Tried to make this tonight. Problem I’ve encountered when adding the last melted chocolate (100% dark unsweetened), the mixture became harden (bricky). When spreading into the springfoam pan, it was so dense, more gluey than concrete mixture.
Lisa says
If that was the case, you may have needed to add more liquid like heavy cream or sour cream. Or, maybe the chocolate wasn’t melted enough.
Sandra Eichenberger says
I’m new to instapot and would you PLEASE add to make sure a liner pot is inside the Instapot!!!!!!!!!! I may have just ruined my Instapot by pouring the 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom of it. I put the rack in and then the water like the instructions said and too late saw the warning inside my machine. I realized when the water came out the bottom!!! I’m not a dumb person but I feel like an idiot and just hope I haven’t ruined my new Instapot!!!
Lisa says
The rack goes into the liner. Did you not read the user manual?
Cathy says
Wipe it off and let it dry it is fine I did that too and mine works great There is nothing down there water can hurt its all sealed.
Teresa says
This was oh, so delicious! Will definitely make again.
Christina says
What size springform i have a 6″ leakproof for 6 qt
Or i have a 7″x3 flanera sealabke lid
Lisa says
I used a 7-inch
Anne says
I’m new to Keto but have a question about the Instant Pot. What if you don’t have one or don’t have a pressure cooker? Could you do just in the oven or on the stove?
Lisa says
You can. You’ll just have to adjust the cooking time.
Sarah says
I should have known better when it only said 1 t of sweeteners in the actual cake. I had tasted it and added a bit more but it is still not at all sweet. I’m hoping to salvage it by adding some powdered Swerve on top but it tastes pretty awful and I feel like I’ve wasted a lot of expensive ingredients. In most cakes of this size, a cup or so of sugar would be required. How is 1 t supposed to make it sweet? Plus, the water wasn’t enough in my brand new InstaPot and I think the cake didn’t cook right. It’s cooling now, so we’ll see if it’s edible. I hate waste. Very disappointed.
Lisa says
You must NOT have used the concentrated sweetener. 1 teaspoon of concentrated stevia equals about 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of concentrated monk fruit is about 1/2 cup sugar. So, you do need about 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar equivalent in the filling. The amount of bulk sweetener like Swerve is included in the NOTES section. Perhaps you missed that?
Candy Lind says
I APPLAUD YOU for taking other bloggers to task for not giving others credit. If I ever decide to take the plunge into blogging recipes, I will follow your lead (and I tend to make TONS of changes – I’ve always been an adventurer when it came to recipes – my mom trained me as a “dump cook” – dump a little of this in, then a little of that LOL). It’s going to end up being after Christmas, I’m afraid, unless it’s 3am tomorrow morning, but I am going to make this and then freeze little slices for “treat time.” Now it’s off to make a batch of your heavenly cream cheese fudge!
Cindy Burton says
I’m new to low carb cooking and this looks fantastic. My question is concerning the baking chocolate. Can I just use any unsweetened baking chocolate bars?
Lisa says
You can any unsweetened chocolate. You may want to add more sweetener as I used just enough to offset the bitter chocolate taste.
Brenda Penton says
It looks delicious! I had a question about the crust. Is it supposed to be all dry ingredient without anything binding it together?
Lisa says
It is supposed to have a couple tablespoons of melted butter mixed in. Not sure how that got lost so I added it in.
Julie Chandler says
Can I just check the amount of eggs required? Two large aggs plus two extra egg yolks? I only ask because it says ‘egg’ not ‘eggs’ in the ingredients list and instructions so I don’t want to add a second whole egg if not required. Thank you.
Lisa says
It was one egg and I found another mistake after going through my notes. I totally forgot to list the heavy cream!
Shannon says
Could this be baked in the oven, and if so what time and temp?
Thanks!!
Lisa says
I’d try 325-350F for about 55 minutes.
Stacy says
Please post if you tried it in the oven and how it turned out.
Judy says
I don’t have a pressure cooker but this cheesecake looks aMAZing!!! Can I just make it in my oven? If so how long and at what temp?
Lisa says
I’d say 325-350F for about 55 minutes with a pan of water under.
Margie says
That sounds delicious! I will definitely try making this.
I’m wondering why you chose to use two cups of water? One cup is plenty for building up pressure…it seems like with two you’re just making it take longer to get to pressure and perhaps increasing the variability of the timing, like if someone used colder water than someone else it would take longer to get to pressure and increase the overall cooking time. (Where with one cup, it could still be different, but not as much!)
Lisa says
Most of the IP cheesecake recipes use 2 cups of water. However, you are probably right so I changed the amount to 1.5 cups.