Get impressive with your dessert recipes and whip up this decadent instant pot salted caramel apple cheesecake. It consists of a traditional crust with added pretzel pieces and filled with a rich and creamy apple flavored center. Top it off with a thick caramel sauce for an unforgettable dessert.
It doesn’t take large servings of this cheesecake to be satisfied. It’s very rich (like most cheesecake recipes) and although it has a fall-like theme, it’s perfect all year round.
How To Make
- Prep – Spray the springform pan with nonstick spray. Cover the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper.
- Make the crust – Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Press into the springform pan and up the sides. Place in the freezer until needed.
- Make the filling – Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add both sugars and mix for 2 minutes. Mix in the cinnamon, cider, and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in sour cream. In a separate bowl, combine apples, cinnamon, and sugar. Fold them into the filling.
- Cook – Place filling in the prepared pan and add the water to the instant pot. Place the cheesecake on the trivet and place it in the pot. Cook on high for 35 minutes, naturally release for 10 minutes, then manually finish releasing.
- Chill – Cool for at least 2 hours until the cheesecake starts to pull away from the pan.
- Make the caramel topping – Combine the caramels and water in a small pot. Cook until melted, continuously stirring. Let cool until thickened.
- Top the cheesecake – Pour the caramel over the top of the cheesecake. Top with sea salt and nuts if desired. Enjoy!
Tips For The Perfect Instant Pot Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake
- Skip the pretzels – If you’re not a fan of the pretzels in the crust, you can replace them with more graham crackers.
- Skip the caramel – I love the caramel topping as it really brings the entire cheesecake together. However, if you’re not one to like sticky caramel, you can definitely skip it.
- Graham crackers substitute – If desired, you can always use something like cinnamon graham crackers, wafer cookies, vanilla wafers, etc. in place of the crackers. This will make the crust taste different and slightly adjust the texture, but it’s a fun way to change things up.
Why is My Instant Pot Cheesecake Runny?
This most likely is due to the cheesecake not cooking long enough. If it’s runny, you’ll want to cook it longer until the outer edges don’t jiggle, but the middle does. Don’t stress if it’s still jiggly or a little runny in the middle, this is normal and what you want. The cheesecake will continue to stiffen throughout the rest of the preparation process. If you believe you’ve cooked the cheesecake for plenty of time, but it’s still runny, I would say you had too much liquid in your mixture. Sadly, you may have to start over.
What Happens if You Overmix?
Overmixing can run the chance of your cheesecake turning out extra soft. Although it should hold its form, it may not be easy to slice and hand out. You’ll definitely want to thoroughly mix your cheesecake, but just until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Stop mixing as soon as you can to help the cheesecake turn out its best.
Storage
- Fridge – Store in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer – Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
More Delicious Instant Pot Desserts…
- Instant Pot Eggnog Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Apple Dumplings
- Instant Pot Mounds Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Raspberry Lemonade Cheesecake
Instant Pot Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
Crust
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs crushed
- 3/4 cup crushed pretzels
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 ounces unsalted butter melted
Apples
- 2 apples peeled and diced
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Filling
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tsp apple juice
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
Topping
- 24 squares caramel candies
- 1 tbsp flaked salt
- 1 tsp water
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Lightly spray an 8-inch springform pan with baking spray Cut a circle of parchment paper the size of the bottom of the pan and place it in the pan. Using a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and pretzel crumbs. Add in butter and sugar and mix with a fork until the consistency of wet sand. Add mixture to pan and press firmly into the bottom and about ¾" up the sides of the pan. Place crust in the freezer while preparing apples and filling.
- Mix peeled and diced apples with sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until fluffy. Make sure to scrape the bowl to get all the cream cheese mixture. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix for approximately 2 min.
- Add apple juice, vanilla, and cinnamon and mix until thoroughly combined. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing each on low until just combined. Add in sour cream and mix on low until combined and batter is smooth. Gently fold in prepared apples.
- Pour filling into prepared pan and cover the pan with foil, sealing edges. Add 1½ c. of water to the bottom of Instant Pot. Place the cheesecake pan on trivet or sling and lower into pot. Seal pot according to your instructions. Cook on high pressure for 35 min, allow to sit for 10 min, then manually release.
- The Cheesecake should jiggle a bit in the middle. If too loose, cook for an additional 5 min. Place on a wire rack, in a pan to cool for at least two hours or until you notice the sides of the pan pulling away from the cheesecake. Run a knife around pan edges and remove cheesecake from pan.
- Place caramels and water in pan and heat over low temperature on stovetop, stirring constantly until smooth and melted. (Can do in the microwave in short increments until melted if you like.) Allow to cool until thickened a bit. It should be a pouring consistency but not too liquid. If too thick, add a little of the cream to thin.
- Pour caramel over the top of the cheesecake and allow to drip down the sides. Sprinkle flaked salt across the top evenly. Place pecan halves or chopped pecans over top of caramel if you choose.
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