Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Cheesecake Bites

Instant Pot Cheesecake Bites are the perfect make-ahead holiday treat! Smooth, creamy cheesecake balls dipped into rich milk chocolate and decorated with your favorite toppings.

My Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Pops drizzled with caramel and white chocolate is one of my most popular recipes on Barbara Bakes. 

I’ve made it even easier by converting it to an easy Instant Pot cheesecake recipe. Cheesecake is one of my favorite things to make in the pressure cooker. It’s super easy, and it comes out silky smooth. 

I guarantee these bite-sized treats will be a big hit at your holiday party!

How to Make Cheesecake Bites in an Instant Pot / Electric Pressure Cooker

This Instant Pot Cheesecake Bites recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Mealthy MultiPot. 

Cheesecake pops are the perfect make-ahead dessert! Because these cheesecake pops use a crustless Instant Pot cheesecake recipe, they come together quick.

Making Instant Pot cheesecake Bites is a three step process:

1. Make the cheesecake and chill.
2. Form the into cheesecake balls and freeze.
3. Dip the cheesecake balls, decorate, and chill until ready to serve.

It’s best if you make these pressure cooker cheesecake pops over 2 days so the cheesecake has lots of time to chill.

The hands-on time for each step is pretty minimal, and the end result is pretty much irresistible! 

How Many Cheesecake Bites Does This Make?

I used a #30 cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to make the Instant Pot cheesecake bites. You’ll get 18 bites from a 7-inch pressure cooker cheesecake. 

For me, this is enough cheesecake that one bite is satisfying without being too much.

However, if you want to make 24 smaller bites, you can use a #40 scoop (about the same as a heaping tablespoon). 

What Chocolate Should I Use?

Choose a good chocolate for this cheesecake pops recipe! The chocolate you use has a big impact on the overall flavor! 

If possible, I recommend using a chocolate specifically made for dipping. Unlike chocolate chips or candy bars, compound chocolates and melting chocolates are still made with higher-end cocoa powder or cocoa butter. You can definitely taste the difference!

You can find melting chocolates and wafers at specialty baking stores, craft stores, and even some big box stores and grocery stores. 

My family prefers milk chocolate, so I like to use Guittard Old Dutch Milk Chocolate Wafers. This makes for a rich, sweet complement to the smooth and creamy cheesecake. When chilled, you get a nice crunch from the chocolate shell. 

If you want the finished product to be a little more complex and less sweet, I’d recommend a bittersweet or dark chocolate. 

In a pinch, you could also use chocolate chips or candy melts.

Do I Need to Temper My Chocolate?

If a shiny coating and crisp snap is important to you when you bite into the chocolate, you’ll want to make sure to temper your chocolate. I’ve included instructions for traditional double-boiler tempering, but at home I generally follow Cook’s Illustrated’s easy microwave method for tempering chocolate. 

No matter which method you use, you want to make sure your melted chocolate doesn’t get too hot—definitely below 130°F for bittersweet chocolate and below 115°F for milk chocolate.

Dipping Pressure Cooker Cheesecake Pops

I prefer to use 6-inch lollipop sticks or longer when I want to place the bottom of the sticks in a cake pop stand so the dipping chocolate stays uniformly round. This is ideal when presentation is the main focus. 

However, I generally use 4-inch lollipop sticks as photographed here. After dipping, I’ll place the pops back down on a platter, with the sticks facing up. 

How to Dip Cheesecake Bites

I wrote the recipe to serve as cheesecake pops because the lollipop stick makes them easy to dip! However, the pops aren’t necessary. 

You will need to freeze the cheesecake pops for several hours before dipping them in the chocolate. Frozen cheesecake balls keep their shape better and the chocolate sticks better. 

Dip each cheesecake ball into the chocolate, then use a fork or dipping tool to remove the ball from the pan. Hold the ball above the pan for a brief time to allow excess chocolate to drip off before placing the cheesecake bite back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

How to Decorate Instant Pot Cheesecake Bites

Dress up your cheesecake bites for any occasion! The sky is really the limit here:

• White chocolate
• Dark chocolate
• Melted caramel
• Red or green candy melts
• Chopped nuts
• Crushed Oreo cookies
• Crushed graham crackers
• Finely crushed peppermint candies
• Multicolored jimmies (I don’t recommend nonpareil sprinkles because I don’t like the crunch)

You can use your creativity and ingredients you already have on hand.

Update: I made a fun new video showing you how cute and easy these Instant Pot Cheesecake Bites are to make and serve!

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Instant Pot Cheesecake Pops

Yield: 18 pops

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Instant Pot Cheesecake Bites are the perfect make-ahead holiday treat! Smooth, creamy cheesecake balls dipped into rich milk chocolate and decorated with your favorite toppings.

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Ingredients

• 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 pound chocolate, very finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening*
• Crushed cookies, chopped nuts, additional chocolate, for topping
• 18 lollipop sticks, optional, for serving

Instructions

Preparing the Cheesecake

1. Prepare a 7-inch springform pan by coating it with a nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. Blend in sour cream and vanilla. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Don't over mix. 
3. Pour batter into the prepared springform pan. (Do not cover with foil.)
4. Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooking pot, and place the trivet in the bottom. Carefully center the filled pan on a sling and lower it into the cooking pot. Fold the sling so they don’t interfere with closing the lid.
5. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 30 minutes cook time. 
6. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and use a natural pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove lid.
7. Use the corner of a paper towel to soak up any water on top of the cheesecake. Remove the springform pan to a wire rack to cool. When cheesecake is cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Forming the Cheesecake Balls

1. When the cheesecake is chilled, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. (This makes them easier to remove from the pan after freezing.)
2. Scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls (about 2 tablespoons) and place on the prepared baking sheet. 
3. If making cheesecake pops, carefully insert a lollipop stick into the center of each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 2 hours.

Preparing the Dipping Chocolate

1. When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose its shine after it has dried.
   
   Stovetop method: Prepare a double boiler or a heatproof bowl over a pot. In the lower pot, bring water to a simmer (do not boil). Heat the chocolate and shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and the chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. 
   
   Microwave method: Place two-thirds of the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. microwave the chocolate at 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring between intervals until it’s almost melted. Add the remaining third of the chocolate to the bowl and allow to sit for 30 seconds, then stir until completely smooth. If needed, return to the microwave to melt for an additional 10 seconds at 50% power. 

Dipping the Cheesecake Pops

1. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. 
3. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations or drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate. 
4. Place the pop on the prepared baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate as needed.
5. Refrigerate the pops until ready to serve.

Notes

* Shortening is optional if you're experienced with tempering chocolate or if you're using a chocolate made for dipping.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Nordic Ware Leakproof Springform Pan, 7 Inch
• 
  Vollrath Size 30 Scoop
• 
  Instant Pot Duo Nova 6-Quart Pressure Cooker

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 289Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 117mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.

If you love this recipe, you’ll love my dessert cookbook!

I’ve written a great Instant Pot dessert cookbook with Marci Buttars called Instantly Sweet. It has 12 amazing cheesecake recipes, including Triple Layer Chocolate Mint Cheesecake (page 50) and cute little Mini Cheesecakes in a Jar (page 57). 

It also has some festive lava cakes (White Chocolate Peppermint?), pies, and puddings. 

Featured on the cover is my Instant Pot Caramel Pecan Cheesecake—try the recipe here! 

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