Instant Pot White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake

Creamy cheesecake with a hint of white chocolate, covered with a delicious strawberry sauce made from scratch. And it's all made in the Instant Pot! 

(Originally posted on January 22, 2019 ; Updated tips and FAQs on December 11, 2019)

After discovering how easy and delicious Instant Pot cheesecakes are, I knew the possibilities were endless. This cheesecake is a play on both my dark chocolate cheesecake and our peppermint bark cheesecake. Both use cream and chocolate chips in the cheesecake batter, and the flavor and texture is incredible. So, when I set out to create a strawberry cheesecake, I couldn't resist adding in some white chocolate. The result was this delicious white chocolate cheesecake - a creamy cheesecake with a hint of white chocolate flavor, topped with strawberry glaze made from scratch.

Why This Recipe Works

1. While oven baked cheesecakes can be fickle, often cracking or puffing up if not cooked with a proper water bath, Instant Pot cheesecakes are a breeze to make! This is because the Instant Pot uses steam to cook, so there is no need for an additional water bath.
2. The sauté function allows you to make the fresh strawberry topping from scratch right in your Instant Pot, so there's no need to dirty a separate pot. 

More Cheesecake Recipes

• Instant Pot Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake
• Gingerbread Cheesecake in the Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Glaze

The Process

Place graham crackers in food processor and blend until fine. Or place in large zip top bag and roll with rolling pin to crush the crackers.

Place graham cracker crumbs in bowl and combine with melted butter.

Using a fork, stir to combine well.

Pour crumbs into 7x3 inch push pan or spring form pan. Using a glass with a flat bottom, press into an even layer. (Optional: To make it easier to slide your finished cheesecake off the pan, place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of your pan before filling with crumbs.)

Combine cornstarch and sugar in a small bowl.

Add cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch to a medium bowl. Beat until smooth, using a spatula to scrape down sides of bowl as you go.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream. If you do not have access to a microwave, you can do this step in your IP with a stainless steel bowl, using it as a double boiler as seen here.

Microwave chips and heavy cream for 20-30 seconds, then whisk until completely smooth.

If chips are not melted after one minute of whisking, microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. The time needed will vary depending on how warm your house is, and the wattage of your microwave. In a warm house with a high wattage microwave, 20 seconds will be all you need.

Let white chocolate mixture cool until warm, not hot, then fold into cream cheese mixture until completely combined.

Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined.

Remove cheesecake crust from freezer and pour batter into pan. (Optional: Tap pan gently against table/counter to bring air bubbles to the surface. Use a fork or toothpick to pop air bubbles.)

Add 1 ½ cups water and 3-inch trivet to Instant Pot.

Cover cheesecake with foil, and place on trivet. Cook for 40 minutes at high pressure, then allow a natural pressure release. Once pressure is released, turn off Instant Pot and carefully remove cheesecake. Remove foil and allow cheesecake to cool for one hour or until room temperature. Once cool, carefully run a paring knife around the edge of the cheesecake to separate from pan, but do not remove from pan. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Carefully push cheesecake up from push pan by placing center of push pan on a can or glass and pushing edges down. If using springform pan, gently remove outer edge of pan.

To make the strawberry topping, dice half of the strawberries. Cut the remaining strawberries in half lengthwise. (Pick out the prettiest strawberries to keep for this step!)

Add strawberries, vanilla, lemon juice and sugar to clean Instant Pot.

Mix well, then press sauté (set to normal temp).

Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Let simmer until strawberries are almost completely broken down and sauce thickened (7 to 10 minutes).

Add cornstarch slurry and stir.

Add halved strawberries and stir.

Continue to cook until strawberry halves begin to soften (about 2 minutes). Remove inner pot from Instant Pot and allow sauce to cool completely.

Once sauce is cooled, spoon sauce onto the top of finished and cooled cheesecake. This step should be done after the cheesecake has been refrigerated and removed from pan. You can put as little or as much sauce as you want. We used it all, which resulted in sauce drizzling down the sides.

Using two forks, flip all of the halved strawberries so that the cut side faces down. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

And this is the AMAZING Result…

Expert Tips

1. If you do not have access to a microwave to heat the cream and white chocolate chips, you can do this step in your IP with a stainless steel bowl, using it as a double boiler as seen here.
2. Do not place the cheesecake directly in the refrigerator from the Instant Pot, as this could result in cracking. Allow it to cool at room temperature for one hour, or until it reaches room temperature, before placing in the refrigerator. 
3. If you prefer a cheesecake that is not oozing with strawberry sauce, you can carefully separate the strawberries from the sauce. Drizzle the desired amount of sauce onto the cheesecake. Then, carefully place the strawberries using two forks until the desired look is achieved.
4. Do not add the strawberry sauce to the cheesecake until the cheesecake has cooled in the refrigerator for several hours and has been removed from the pan. I usually prepare the sauce when the cheesecake has only an hour or two left to chill in the fridge. 

FAQs

What size Instant Pot did you use? We use a 6qt Instant Pot Duo.

What kind of pan did you use? We use a Fat Daddio's 7 x 3 Inch Cheese Cake Pan, also known as a push pan. A 7-Inch Springform Pan will also work.

Can I use the trivet that came with my Instant Pot? We recommend using a 3-inch trivet to make sure the cheesecake pan is not touching the water. You can purchase a 3-inch trivet on Amazon for under $10.

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