Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake

A Pumpkin Instant Pot Cheesecake dessert that has the delicious twist of a granola crust!

Pumpkin pie is a classic. But even classics get upgrades, and when you combine a good cheesecake recipe with modern technology like an Instant Pot, there’s a lot of potential for a memorable dessert–both in the eating and the preparation.

And the recipe we’re talking about today includes a twist thanks to the granola crust. Many Americans love granola for breakfast, and you can use it in a variety of ways–as a standalone snack, as a topping for yogurt with berries, and yes, you can also use granola in baking as we do here.

Granola is the crust for this Pumpkin Instant Pot Cheesecake! Sure, you could fall back on graham crackers or cookies, but granola has those fall flavors you can pair beautifully with pumpkin.

I’ve started using my Instant Pot for all my cheesecakes. It’s fast, the results are worth the effort, and Instant Pot cheesecake always seems to turn out creamy in that “just right” way.

Serving Size?

Yes, it’s true that an Instant Pot cheesecake will be a little smaller than a typical cheesecake, but an already-rich dessert with the addition of the granola crust means smaller portions might be a good thing–most will be tempted to try a second piece regardless!

This recipe calls for a return to one of our favorite home-made dessert toppings, my Bourbon-Pecan Caramel Sauce. Use this sauce with the Pumpkin Instant Pot cheesecake, and you’ll see why we love it. But you can also use store-bought caramel sauce to save time, just be sure to add some pecans for texture.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Substitutions & Toppings

• Crust: Use graham crackers, Oreo, vanilla wafers, cookies, gluten-free cookie crumbs, or ginger snap cookies. Even go crustless.
• Cream Cheese: Substitute with reduced-fat cream cheese but not fat-free.
• Sauce: Substitute with white or dark chocolate ganache, maple glaze, Dulce de Leche, marshmallow creme, caramel peanut glaze.
• Toppings: Whipped cream (or flavored whipped cream e.g. honey whipped), chocolate shavings, Heath bar crumbles, pecans, candied nuts, coconut cream, almond cream, creamy orange, holiday mincemeat, meringue, toasted marshmallow, maple candy

Cheesecake Hacks

Cream cheese requires some careful handling, in terms of how long it can remain unrefrigerated. Always remember that leaving cream cheese at room temperature (40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher) for more than two hours may be a bad idea. Some sources report you can leave cream cheese out for as long as four hours. We refuse to test this hypothesis. Safety first!

Having issued the warning about room temperature cream cheese, it is worth noting that you will have the easiest time using cream cheese at room temperature before and after cooking.

I’d love to hear what your favorite ways are to make your cheesecake crusts. Let me know in the comments. Have a great Fall day!

I’ve also used granola to make these Mini Layered Pumpkin Cheesecakes, too!

Cheesecake should be stored in the refrigerator.

More Delicious Cheesecake Recipes

• Mini Cheesecakes with Chocolate-Stuffed Raspberries
• Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
• Grilled Pineapple No-Bake Cheesecakes
• Lemon Instant Pot Cheesecake
• Peppermint Cheesecake Bites

Continue to Content

Pumpkin Instant Pot Cheesecake with a Granola Crust

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Once you make Instant Pot Cheesecake, you'll never use your oven for cheesecake again!

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Classic Granola
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

1. Spray a 7-inch cheesecake or Springform pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray.
2. Using a food processor or high-powered blender, grind granola into large crumbs.
3. Mix the granola crumbs and melted butter together, then press firmly into the bottom of the pan.
4. Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl until it's smooth.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, until they're fully incorporated.
6. Add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla; mix until smooth.
7. Pour the batter into the cheesecake pan then cover it with foil.
8. Make a foil “sling”, folding lengthwise twice, then set cheesecake pan in the center. Pour 1 cup water into the pot then put the trivet on top. Place the cheesecake on the sling in the pot, taking care to fold the sling “handles” down so they don’t interfere with closing the pot.
9. Close and lock the lid. Press “Manual” and immediately adjust the timer to 30 minutes. Check that the cooking pressure is on “high” and that the release valve is set to “Sealing”.
10. When time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes then release any remaining pressure using “Quick Pressure Release”. Carefully remove the cheesecake using the sling, then cool it completely on a wire rack (gently dab any condensation from top of cheesecake before cooling).
11. Chill for at least four hours.
12. Sauce Recipe: Pour sugar and water into a large saucepan over medium-high heat. DO NOT STIR.
13. Swirl the pan occasionally and cook until the color changes to a dark amber.
14. Turn off the heat and whisk in remaining ingredients. (Pecans can be stirred into the sauce at this point or topped separately on cheesecakes with sauce poured over).
15. Allow sauce to cool then pour into a jar and refrigerate.

Notes

Make sure you use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 924Saturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 181mgSodium: 268mgCarbohydrates: 94gFiber: 3gSugar: 75gProtein: 10g

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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