Instant Pot Key Lime Cheesecake

A creamy and flavorful key lime cheesecake made in the Instant Pot and topped with Homemade Whipped Cream.

It is garnished with crushed graham crackers and lime zest. Key Lime Cheesecake is the perfect spring and summer dessert.

Ingredients in Instant Pot Cheesecake

• Cream cheese
• Eggs
• Heavy cream
• Granulated sugar
• Cornstarch
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Key Lime juice, substitute limes if needed
• Key lime zest, substitute limes if needed

Homemade Graham Cracker Crust

• Unsalted butter
• Graham crackers
• Salt
• Brown sugar

Ingredients in Homemade Whipped Cream

• Heavy cream
• Confectioner's sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Water
• Unflavored gelatin - this stabilizes the whipped cream

Preparing the Crust

I always line my Cheesecake Pan with parchment paper because, for me, it's so much easier to remove it from the pan.  It's not necessary to do this, you can instead use nonstick cooking spray.  I just prefer the parchment paper method.

I always blind bake my crusts because I prefer a crispier bite when eating cheesecake. 

You prepare the crust by melting the crushing the graham crackers, melting the butter, and mixing the ingredients together along with the salt and the brown sugar.   

You can completely forgo the blind baking if you want, but the graham cracker crust won't have as much of a crunch as it would if you were to blind bake it.

TIP: Blind baking is when you bake a crust in the oven without the filling.  It makes the crust a little more crunchy than if you were to ignore the blind baking step.

RELATED: Instant Pot Cheesecake with Fresh Raspberry Topping

Key Lime Cheesecake Filling

This cheesecake has lime juice and key lime zest.  If you don't have key limes available you can just use limes. 

The only huge difference between the two is that the key limes are smaller and seedier than limes.  The taste is very similar. 

Use a grater to remove the peel from the limes.  Be careful to only grate the green and leave the white peel.  The white peel will result in a more bitter taste.

It's very important to use room-temperature ingredients.  Always lay out the heavy cream, eggs, and cream cheese about 2 hours before you actually start making the cheesecake. 

The ingredients will incorporate easier and be more workable.  I also use a food processor because it allows short pulses (and more even blending) vs. a hand blender and helps prevent overbeating.

Key Lime Cheesecake Topping

I made homemade whipped cream as the topping for this cheesecake.  You can, by all means, use already prepared whipped cream in place of homemade. 

I didn't have any on hand but did have all the ingredients needed to make it homemade.  I garnished the top of the whipped cream with crushed graham crackers and sprinkled the cheesecake with lime zest.

Accessories Needed To Make the Instant Pot Cheesecake

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
• 7″ Cheesecake Pan
• Parchment Paper
• Instant Pot Sling or Handmade Aluminum Foil Sling
• Aluminum Foil
• Hand Grater

A Larger Cheesecake

What if you have an 8 qt. Instant Pot?  You can still make this cheesecake with the 7-inch pan or if you would prefer you can make this recipe in an 8-inch pan.  

The number of ingredients (for the 7″) 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.

📖 Recipe

Instant Pot Key Lime Cheesecake

Dana

A creamy and flavorful key lime cheesecake made in the Instant Pot and topped with homemade whipped cream.

4.91 from 64 votes

Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 42 minutes mins

Natural Release 18 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 slices

Calories 597 kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Springform Pan

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Key Lime Cheesecake Filling

• 16 oz cream cheese room temp
• 2 eggs room temp
• ½ cup heavy cream room temp
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon key lime zest substitute limes if needed

Graham Crust

• 4 tablespoon butter melted
• 12 graham crackers finely crushed
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoon brown sugar

Instant Pot

• 1 cup water

Homemade Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

Garnish

• 3 tablespoon crushed graham crackers
• 1 tablespoon lime zest

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325°F
• Combine finely crushed graham crackers, ⅛ tsp salt, and brown sugar. 
• Melt the 4 tablespoon of butter and mix in the graham mixture.
• Line bottom and sides of 7" springform pan with parchment paper.
• Press graham cracker crust into the bottom of the pan and use the back of a spoon to gently press it up on the sides.
• Bake the crust in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, using a food processor, combine the room temperature cream cheese, and heavy cream.  Blend using short pulses.
• Add in the sugar, cornstarch, 2 tsp vanilla, salt, lime juice, and key lime zest.  Quick Pulses until just incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. 
• Add in the room temperature eggs and blend using short pulses until just combined.  This part is critical!
• Pour into the parchment paper-lined springform pan and allow the filling to settle.
• Gently pick up the springform pan and "tap" it onto the counter to pop any air pockets that may be in the filling.  Smooth out the top with a spatula.
• Loosely cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil.
• Pour 1 cup of water into the pot and put the trivet into place.
• Create a sling out of foil or use an Instant Pot silicone sling and place it in the Instant Pot.
• Gently place the cheesecake in the Instant Pot and close the lid.
• Set the pot to MANUAL and cook for 42 minutes.
• Allow the Instant Pot to Natural Release for 18 minutes before removing the lid.
• Carefully remove the cheesecake from the Instant Pot and carefully remove the foil (careful not to drop any liquid on the cake.).  Use a paper towel to soak up any water that may be laying on the cake.
• Allow the cheesecake to sit on the counter for 10 minutes before moving the cheesecake to chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Once cheesecake is chilled, it is safe to remove the cheesecake from the pan.  

Homemade Whipped Cream

• Stir together 4 tablespoon of water and 1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin and heat in microwave for 5 seconds.  It will dissolve.  Allow it to cool before adding to the heavy cream, otherwise, it will melt. 
• In a larger bowl, combine 1 cup of heavy cream and beat until small peaks form.
• Add in 4 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla. Beat.  
• Add in the cooled gelatin and beat until still peaks form. 
• Decorate top of Key Lime Cheesecake and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 597kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 8gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 164mgSodium: 501mgPotassium: 183mgFiber: 1gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 1655IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 113mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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