Creamy and smooth Instant Pot gingerbread cheesecake baked in a crunchy gingersnap crust and topped with a white chocolate mousse.
This cheesecake is perfect for the holiday season and is delicious served with a cup of coffee or hot cocoa.
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Perfect for the holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, this lusciously flavorful and creamy cheesecake is a great addition to the dessert table.
This cheesecake is made with molasses, gingerbread spices, and gingersnap cookies. It has all of the classic flavors of traditional gingerbread cookies,
Ingredients in Instant Pot Gingerbread Cheesecake
The ingredients in this gingerbread cheesecake recipe are pretty straightforward and are similar to those in gingerbread cookies.
- cream cheese, room temperature
- eggs, room temperature
- heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- granulated sugar
- cornstarch
- vanilla extract
- salt
- molasses
- ground ginger
- ground cinnamon
- nutmeg
Cheesecake Crust & Topping
- unsalted butter
- ginger snaps cookies, finely crushed
- salt
- brown sugar
White Chocolate Mousse Topping
- cream cheese, softened
- white baking chocolate
- whipped topping (half container)
How to make a Gingerbread Cheesecake
There are a few steps to making this gingerbread cheesecake in the Instant Pot.
The first step is to make the gingersnap cookie crust.
- Preheat oven to 325°F and spray the bottom and sides of a 7" springform pan with baking spray.
- Add the gingersnap cookies to a food processor and crush them to a fine crumb.
- Melt the 8 tablespoons of butter and mix the melted butter into the crushed gingersnap cookies, brown sugar, and salt together in a bowl.
- Transfer the crushed gingersnap mixture to the springform pan and press the crust mixture into the bottom of the pan and up and the sides of the pan evenly.
- Reserve about ¼ cup of the mixture for the cheesecake topping.
- Blind bake the crust for 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool while making the cheesecake filling.
Here are the steps to making the Gingerbread Cheesecake Filling:
Make sure to work with room temperature ingredients to blend your ingredients without overbeating them.
- In a food processor, combine the room-temperature cream cheese and heavy cream. Beat together well and add in the granulated sugar and vanilla extract.
- Beat in the cornstarch, salt, molasses, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined.
- Once well combined, add in the room temperature eggs one at a time, just until incorporated. It's very important not to overbeat the eggs, it will result in a bumpy cheesecake.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared baked crust and gently tap the pan on the counter to pop any air bubbles.
- Loosely cover the top of the springform pan with aluminum foil.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the liner of the Instant Pot.
- Use a silicone sling or create a sling out of aluminum foil and place the cheesecake on top of the sling.
- Lower the sling into the Instant Pot.
- Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL/HIGH PRESSURE for 40 minutes.
- Allow the pot to perform a complete natural release. (about 18 minutes)
- Carefully remove the cheesecake from the Instant Pot and remove the foil.
- Use a paper towel to dab any condensation that has been collected on top of the cheesecake.
- Allow the cheesecake to sit on the counter for 10 minutes before transferring it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 24 hours.
- Once the cheesecake is chilled, remove it from the pan, serve as is, or garnish with topping.
The combination of white chocolate and gingerbread creates a wintery delight of flavors. The white chocolate mousse is made using cream cheese, melted white chocolate morsels or a white chocolate baking bar, and whipped topping.
To make the White Chocolate Mousse Topping, follow these steps:
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or use a double boiler.
- Transfer the melted chocolate to a large bowl, beat in the room-temperature cream cheese, and gently fold in the whipped topping being careful not to overwhip it.
- Using a knife or a piping bag, top the gingerbread cheesecake with the mousse, spreading it out evenly. Decorate the edges with a piping bag if desired.
- Sprinkle the remaining ginger snap crumbles on top of the cheesecake.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
TIP: Blind-baking the crust before pressure cooking the cheesecake, ensures that the crust is not too soft and it holds up well during serving and gives the crust a crunchy texture.
Tips and Tricks
- Always start with room temperature ingredients when making cheesecake.
- Tap the cheesecake pan on the counter gently to pop any air pockets that may have been collected in the filling. To reduce the amount of air pockets, pour batter into the prepared crust by the help of a spoon.
- A food processor is a great way to incorporate the ingredients quickly by using the pulse feature without overmixing the batter.
- If you prefer a graham cracker crust, you can use crushed graham crackers in place of the gingersnap cookies.
ACCESSORIES NEEDED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHEESECAKE
Use the correct size cheesecake pan for your pressure cooker. There should be a ½ inch clearance around all sides of the springform pan when it is inside your pressure cooker.
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
- 7″ Cheesecake Pan
- Baking Spray
- Instant Pot Sling or Handmade Aluminum Foil Sling
- Aluminum Foil
FAQ's
How do I make different-sized cheesecakes in the Instant Pot?
Do you have an 8 Qt. Instant Pot? An 8-quart Instant Pot can accommodate an 8-inch springform pan. The amount of ingredients in this recipe (for the 7″ springform pan) will make a slightly shorter cheesecake but it will still taste the same. If you are making the cheesecake in the 8-inch pan, you will have to adjust the time by 5 minutes.
How Do I Store Gingerbread Cheesecake?
Store this gingerbread cheesecake in the refrigerator. To do this, slice the cheesecake into portions and place the slices in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days for best quality. For longer storage, consider freezing.
Can you freeze cheesecake?
You can freeze this gingerbread cheesecake by cutting the cheesecake in slices and wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and then again in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped cheesecake slices in a labeled freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
RELATED
Celebrate with these other recipes perfect for the holiday season. These Christmas sugar cookies are festive and look gorgeous on a cookie platter and check out these Peanut Butter Balls - they're a delicious no bake treat!
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Gingerbread Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese - room temperature
- 2 eggs - room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream - room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Gingersnap Crust & Topping
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 30 ginger snaps cookies - finely crushed
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons brown sugar
White Chocolate Mousse Topping
- 6 ounces cream cheese - softened
- 6 ounces white baking chocolate
- 4 ounces whipped topping - half container
Instructions
Gingersnap Crust
- Preheat oven to 325°F and spray the bottom and sides of a 7" springform pan with baking spray.
- Add the gingersnap cookies to a food processor and crush them to a fine crumb.
- Melt the 8 tablespoons of butter and mix the melted butter into the crushed gingersnap cookies, brown sugar, and salt together in a bowl.
- Transfer the crushed gingersnap mixture to the springform pan and press the crust mixture into the bottom of the pan and up and the sides of the pan evenly.
- Reserve about ¼ cup of the mixture for the cheesecake topping.
- Blind bake the crust for 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool while making the cheesecake filling.
Gingerbread Cheesecake Filling
- In a food processor, combine the room-temperature cream cheese and heavy cream. Beat together well and add in the granulated sugar and vanilla extract.
- Beat in the cornstarch, salt, molasses, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined.
- Once well combined, add in the room temperature eggs one at a time, just until incorporated. It's very important not to overbeat the eggs, it will result in a bumpy cheesecake.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared baked crust and gently tap the pan on the counter to pop any air bubbles.
- Loosely cover the top of the springform pan with aluminum foil.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the liner of the Instant Pot.
- Use a silicone sling or create a sling out of aluminum foil and place the cheesecake on top of the sling.
- Lower the sling into the Instant Pot.
- Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL/HIGH PRESSURE for 40 minutes.
- Allow the pot to perform a complete natural release. (about 18 minutes)
- Carefully remove the cheesecake from the Instant Pot and remove the foil.
- Use a paper towel to dab any condensation from the top of the cheesecake.
- Allow the cheesecake to sit on the counter for 10 minutes before transferring it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 24 hours.
- Once the cheesecake is chilled, remove it from the pan, serve as is, or garnish with topping.
White Chocolate Mousse Topping
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or use a double boiler.
- Transfer the melted chocolate to a large bowl, beat in the room-temperature cream cheese, and gently fold in the whipped topping being careful not to overwhip it.
- Using a knife or a piping bag, top the gingerbread cheesecake with the mousse, spreading it out evenly. Decorate the edges with a piping bag if desired.
- Sprinkle the remaining ginger snap crumbles on top of the cheesecake.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
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Dana is the lead recipe developer and photographer for PopularRecipes.com. With her 10+ years of experience creating, testing, and photographing recipes, she has become an artist in developing wholesome, family-friendly meals that are a hit with both kids and parents.
Dianna Mcintosh says
How many grams is 30 ginger snap cookies? Roughly