This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake is so decadent that you won’t believe that it’s low carb – or how easy it is to make using your instant pot!
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It doesn’t get much better then a dessert that combines the 3 most heavenly foods on the planet – chocolate, peanut butter and cheesecake! It’s seriously delicious.
Instant pot “baking”
As the icing on the cake, you can “bake” this cheesecake in your instant pot for a perfect result every single time.
If you’ve never made a cheesecake in the instant pot, then you are in for a real treat. In my opinion, an instant pot make the BEST cheesecakes around, and trust me when I say that I’ve eaten my fair share of cheesecake.
It can be a little tricky to follow the written instructions for baking in the instant pot, so I included a cooking demo video under the recipe card. If this is your first time making a cheesecake in your IP, then be sure to check it out!
** If you are super observant, then you may notice that the ingredients in the video are slightly different then the recipe card. After making this a few times (and filming the video) I made a few tweaks to the recipe. The ingredients listed on the recipe card are correct. I hesitated to share the video, but I think that it is helpful to see the cooking technique.
Baking in the oven
Don’t worry, if you don’t have an instant pot, you can still make this yummy chocolate peanut butter cheesecake in the oven.
If you are baking in the oven, you will want to prepare a water bath. A water bath ensures that your cheesecake bakes evenly and comes out of the oven smooth and creamy.
If you are new to making cheesecakes, then this may sound super intimidating, but it’s really easy. You can check out THIS video for tips on setting up the water bath (skip to minute 3:00).
You can also skip the water bath all together and just bake in the oven, but trust me when I say that the extra effort is SO worth it!
Substitutions
This cheesecake is rich and decadent. It’s low in carbs – but not in calories. If you want to lower the calories, then try substituting 1/3 fat cream cheese for the full fat cream cheese. This will reduce the calories quite a bit, without changing the flavor too much.
You could also opt for a “crustless” cheesecake and just skip the bottom layer all together. The same could be said for the top, chocolate frosting layer – but trust me, you don’t want to skip that layer!
Lastly, I always get lots of questions about using a different size pan. If you are baking in the oven, you can use a larger pan, just be aware that you may need to reduce the cooking time. If you are baking in the instant pot, you need to make sure that the pan you are using fits into your pot.
You probably won’t be able to get away with a smaller pan with this recipe. The filling goes right up to the top of the 7″ pan, so anything smaller would require you to divide the cake between multiple pans.
Sweeteners
When making this recipe, I used Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener in the Confectioners variety and it worked really well.
I am sure that you could substitute any confectioner style sweetener and get a similar result as well. Just be aware that Lakanto is about 2 times sweeter than sugar, so if you are using a different brand (like swerve) you make need to add some additional sweetener.
I am a big proponent of tasting for sweetness as you go and adjusting to suit your own taste. I find that the longer that you are on a low carb diet, the more sensitive your are to sweetness and the less sweetener you will require.
Be sure to check out these other great recipes from This Mom’s Menu:
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake | Keto, Instant Pot
Ingredients
For the chocolate crust
- 1/2 cup Almond Flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp Lakanto Powder Sugar Substitute or to taste
- 3 tbsp butter melted
For the cheesecake filling
- 16 oz cream cheese at room temp
- 3/4 cup Lakanto Powder Sugar Substitute or to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sour cream at room temp
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 eggs
For the chocolate topping
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 oz Unsweetened Bakers Chocolate (2 Squares)
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup Lakanto Powder Sugar Substitute or to taste
- 2 tbsp Chopped Peanuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 7″ spring form pan with non stick spray.
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the chocolate crust layer. Mix until well combined.
- Using the back of a spoon, or a rubber spatula, spread the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan making it as even as possible.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes being careful that it doesn’t burn. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
For the cheesecake filling
- Add the cream cheese and sweetener a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla, heavy cream, sour cream and eggs. Mix again, just until integrated.
- In a small, microwave safe dish, microwave the peanut butter for 20-30 seconds. (this step is optional, but it makes it much easier to mix the peanut butter with the other ingredients)
- Add the warm peanut butter to the cream cheese mixture, then mix with the electric mixer until everything is well integrated and nice and smooth. Be careful not to over mix.
- Pour this mixture on top of the prepared crust. Smooth the top and tap it on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Cover the cheesecake with aluminum foil, crimping it around the edges for a secure fit. (see the video)
To bake in the instant pot:
- Tear off a 20″ piece of aluminum foil, and fold it into fourths lengthwise, making a long strip of foil. (see the video for this step)
- Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of your instant pot liner. Add the trivet with the handles down.
- place the long foil strip in the bottom of the instant pot, on top of the trivet, with the two ends sticking up.
- Gently place the cheesecake on top of the foil strip and trivet in the instant pot and fold the 2 ends of the long foil strip over. Put the lid on the instant pot, and ensure that the valve is set to the “sealing” position.
- Set the instant pot to cook for 35 minutes on high pressure, using the manual button.
- When the cooking time has completed, allow the pressure to naturally release, then use the 2 pieces of the foil strip, carefully remove the cheesecake from the instant pot.
- Allow it to sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes before gently removing the foil and placing in the fridge. The center of the cheesecake will probably still be a little wiggly, this is completely normal and it will continue to set as it cools.
- Allow the cheesecake to chill in the fridge for at least two hours before removing from the pan, and adding chocolate topping.
For cooking in the oven:
- (check out the youtube video linked in the post) Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a large pan filled with 1/2 inch of water in the oven.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the center of the cheesecake is only slightly jiggly. Remove from oven and allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes, then in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving or removing from spring form pan.
For the chocolate topping
- While the cheesecake is cooling, Create a double boiler by placing a glass bowl (pyrex works great) over a small sauce pan full of simmering water.
- To the bowl of the double boiler, add the bakers chocolate and the butter. Stir occasionally until both are fully melted.
- Gradually whisk in the heavy cream a little at a time.
- Whisk in the sweetener and set aside to cool It will thicken as it cools. It will thicken as it cools, but putting it into the fridge will make it a little too thick. If it gets too thick, simply microwave it for a few seconds to thin it back out.
- When the cheesecake has cooled and you have removed it from the spring form pan, pour the chocolate topping over the top of the cheesecake and spread it to the edge. If desired, top with chopped peanuts.
Video
Notes
in the video your crust was like play doh…………mine was much more wet than yours…….I have double checked the measurements and do not understand why yours was so much drier. ….. ? Any thoughts???
It’s hard to say without seeing exactly what you did and what brands you are using. So many things can alter the consistency of a dough, but if it seems to wet you can just add a bit more almond flour. Hope that helps!
I packed the almond flour like you would brown sugar and mine came out fine. That might be it because at first I was going to use less because I didn’t pack it.
How long does it take for the chocolate topping to thicken up? I’ve been waiting at least 30 minutes and it’s not any thicker than it was when I took it off the heat. Super thin. I used the same sweetener as you. I snuck a taste of the cheesecake part of it last night before I put it in the fridge to chill and it is absolutely amazing! This will be a favorite in our house for sure!
It shouldn’t take that long, you may try to pop it in the fridge for a few minutes.
Can you sub the heavy whipping cream for anything? Makes me super sick 🙁
Made this for Thanksgiving (Canadian). Everyone loved it and didn’t realize it was low carb. I couldn’t find a spring form pan that was small enough for my instop so used a 9” pan and decreased baking time by 8 minutes. I doubled the crust and the topping due to the increased diameter of the pan. I also used swere instead of Lakanto just because Icould not find it on amazon with delivery to Canada. I did double the amount of swere I used vs Lakanto and it was perfect. Would definitely make this again and next time I. The instapot. Thanks for sharing
Can’t print it ????
In Your video you used 3 eggs. I did not watch the vid but followed the print recipe. Did I just ruin my cheesecake? I’m baking it now. :/
Nope 🙂 I’ve adjusted the recipe some since I made the video so you should be fine!
looks good but your carb count if off. peanut butter has carbs as do a couple of other ingredients. but for the most part most of the ingredients don’t have any.
thanks for sharing
i’m confused. in your entry you stated you used Lakanto sweetener. then in the recipe you said you used swerve. does the recipe account for the swerve amount or Lakanto amount to use?
So sorry! I recently switched my recipe card format and it changed some of the ingredient names. The amount listed is for confectioners lakanto, which is twice a sweet as sugar. If you are using swerve, you will probably want to double the amount listed.
Can I use the regular version and not confestioners? It’s all I could find at the store. I think it’s a 1:1 sugar substitute.
You can, but you may find that it gets a little gritty once the cheesecake has chilled. This doesn’t bother me much at all but it’s just something to be aware of. Hope that helps!
I don’t see the video. it says Video but no link.
I had just one question… am I missing the nutrition information regarding the number of carbohydrates per serving? I would love to know that figure, if possible. Thanks so much!
Hi Susan! Looks like the nutrition label for this recipe vanished 😳 I just added it back in, and there are 7 total carbs, and 5 net carbs per serving.
This is the best Keto dessert that I have made thus far! Absolutely delicious! I only have a 9 inch springform pan so it was much thinner than the pictures, and I baked it in the oven for 40 minutes, no water bath. Difficult to limit myself to one serving!
Thanks for the review, Maggie! So happy to hear that you liked it 🙂 I usually freeze individual portions once it’s completely cool – otherwise, there is no hope for sticking to one serving LOL
So if you are making this in the instant pot, do you bake the crust in the oven first?
Hi Shayna! I do recommend baking the crust just to help it hold together a little bit better.
how many servings are in this yummy looking dessert? I see the nutritional information and it does not say how many servings in this recipe. thank you!
Hi Pamela! This cheesecake serves 10. If you make it, be sure to let me know how you like it!
Best keto dessert ever! I made it for Thanksgiving today and everyone loved it. The kids didn’t realize at all that it was keto and they kept asking for seconds. I’ll definitely hold onto this recipe. Thanks for making such a wonderful recipe.
This was delicious. It was so decadent and dense. I absolutely love this cheesecake.
Looking at purchasing an instant pit but not sure of best size. What size did you use for this recipe?
Thank you
Hi Karla! I have the 6qt instant pot duo and that is what I use for this recipe. The 6qt has always been sufficient for me, but with a large family, I sometimes wish that I had gone with the 8qt. Either way, you will love your Instant Pot! I rarely put mine away because I use it so often!
Making this was easy and fun the Instapot cooks this perfectly
OMG! This was one of the best Keto desserts I have had! Very easy to make, while I do not have the insta pot I make mine in my pressure cooker and it turned out fabulous!
Can you substitute pumpkin puree for the peanut butter to make this a pumpkin cheesecake (without the chocolate topping of course)?
So glad that you liked it Tina! As for the pumpkin question, I haven’t tried it, so I’m not 100% certain but I think that it should work. You may want to add an additional egg or a little (1 tsp or less) unflavored gelatin powder to ensure that it sets since pumpkin puree is more liquid than the peanut butter. If you try it, let me know how it works out!
This looks really yummy. Hubby loves anything peanut butter and chocolate, so I want to make it for his retirement party. But I’m thinking serving would be easier if I made individual mini cheesecakes in cupcake liners. Do you think that would work? How long would I bake for? Oh! I do have the silicon molds for the IP that people make the egg bites in – do you think it would work in those? How cute would they be!
Hi Andi – I’ve never tried making this in cupcake liners, but I would imagine it would work fine. the only difficulty with making them in the instant pot is that they would have to be sealed really well so that no water would get into the cheesecake. My suggestion would be to fill the silicone muffin liners, then place the liners into a baking dish that will fit into your instant pot and thoroughly seal it with foil. (hope that makes sense!) I am not sure about the cooking time, but I would think that it would be pretty similar to what is listed if you go the instant pot route.
Hope that helps, if you try it let me know how it goes!
To bake this in an oven……what is the temp and time please? I found the video for the water bath — guess I missed the time and temp……………… thank you
Hi Sue, Here are the instructions for baking in the oven:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a large pan filled with 1/2 inch of water in the oven.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the center of the cheesecake is only slightly jiggly. Remove from oven and allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes, then in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving or removing from springform pan.
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
This was so good…..and so easy. Now it was requested of me to make a chocolate one. How would I substitute the peanut butter for chocolate? Is this possible
I’m so glad that you liked it Carrie! I haven’t made a chocolate cheesecake (although now I’m wondering why?! lol) I think that your best bet would be to make a chocolate ganache and then stir it into the batter in place of the Peanut butter. To make the ganache, just melt an ounce or 2 of unsweetened bakers chocolate, then gradually whisk in about 1/2 cup of heavy cream. You may also need to add a little more sweetener to the cheesecake batter. If you try it let me know how it goes!
I have the 8qt instapot…do you know if I can use the smaller pan, (like you have) with same results?
Hey Keri, it should work fine in the larger pot. Let me know how it goes!
I made this tonight. The texture and taste on the cheesecake was perfect but the chocolate topping was almost sour or bitter tasting? I followed your exact measurements and the whipping cream was brand new so I know it wasn’t bad. Isn’t suggestions on why it would taste that way?
Which sweetener did you use? Some have a bit of a bitter taste. If that isn’t it, you may need to add a bit of extra heavy cream. Hope that helps!
Hey, Sabra, I made this and HAVE to make it again today since I have a snow day and have no school. YAY! I made it exactly as the recipe states and it’s AMAZING! I really liked the bitter aftertaste of the chocolate topping. I think it would be too sweet otherwise since the cheesecake itself is so rich. Question for you, how do you think it would work with NO crust? Have you ever tried it?
ALSO – I found an OXO silicone sling at Target that works perfectly so I don’t have to make the sings anymore. You should try it. Amazon also carries it.
I don’t see a video under the video link
So I have a couple questions. The first tome I made this I thought I’d be clever and ya PB fit powder and taste was faint. So instead of scratching I blended it all up and added natural peanut butter and made fat bombs which were amazing.
This time I used my natural peanut butter (from Kroger) and also shows 2net carbs (same as my powder) but tastes great. However I still find the peanut butter taste is faint. Should use a different peanut butter with 4 net carbs like you used? Or will it not make much of a difference?
You definitely get an A+ for not giving up! I would try a different peanut butter and see if that helps. If that doesn’t work, you could also add some more extra peanut butter 🙂 Let me know how it goes if you give it another shot!
Ok great thanks. I think I’ll add a peanut butter topping over the chocolate now to finish this one off 🙂
That sounds great!