Instant Pot Ube Cheesecake Recipe + Oven Method

December 31, 2019Van
Blog post

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6-8

If you haven’t heard of ube (pronounced ooh-bey) yet, just search for the hashtag #ube on Instagram and check out all the gorgeous desserts made from this purple yam. It’s been a popular ingredient for sweets and desserts in the Philippines and Hawaii forever, but it’s been spreading like wild fire all over the states for the last few years. I love this description of ube from Trader Joe’s “It’s sweet & nutty-tasting, with hints of an almost coconut-like flavor; some liken it to a cross between vanilla & pistachio” Trader Joe’s released amazing ube ice cream last summer.

Ube is a starchy, sweet yam with the most beautiful purple coloring, which makes it the perfect ingredient for cheesecake! You end up with an ultra-rich and creamy cheesecake, with flavors of ube and coconut. Not to mention this is one of the most stunning desserts you’ll have on your dinner table – your guests will be so impressed that you made it! Now that’s the goal of any home chef! Give this a try—I guarantee you’ll be amazed at what you’ve been missing.

 

You can usually find Ube Flavoring (order here) and Ube Jam (order here) at any Vietnamese or Filipino Market, I’ve even seen it at HMart.  The deep purple coloring comes from the Ube Flavoring – if you don’t use Ube Flavoring, the cheesecake will have a purple-grey tint (will not look pretty without the flavoring/coloring).  If you have a hard time finding Ube Jam, you can substitute with ½ Cup Mashed Ube and use a full can of sweetened condensed milk in the recipe instead of just 1 Cup. 

Instant Pot Ube Cheesecake Recipe

Use Coconut Biscuits or Coconut Cookies for the crust, if you can’t find this – use Nilla Wafers instead.
Instant Pot Ube Cheesecake Recipe

This silicone sling makes is very easy to load and lift out the cheesecake pan (purchase here).
Instant Pot Peanut Butter Cheesecake Recipe with Nutter Butter Crust

If you use your Instant Pot on the counter under your cabinets, this is an awesome accessory that diverts the steam  away from your cabinets (purchase here)
Instant Pot steam diverter

Instant Pot Ube Cheesecake Recipe

I topped my Ube Cheesecake with Coconut Whipped Cream (recipe here). If you want the ombre effect, color half of the whipped cream with a few drops of Ube Flavoring and fill the bag as pictured below. I used a Wilton 2D Piping tip (purchase here).
Instant Pot Ube Cheesecake Recipe

Instant Pot Ube Cheesecake Recipe

Instant Pot Ube Cheesecake Recipe

Instant Pot Ube Cheesecake Recipe

Instant Pot Ube Cheesecake Recipe

Be sure to click on the accessories list below to get the most out of your Instant Pot.
Best Instant Pot Accessories List

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Ube Cheesecake Recipe + Oven Method

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 45 minutes
  • Serves: 6-8

www.foodisafourletterword.com

Ingredients

CRUST

  • 1 Cup Coconut Cookies/Biscuit Crumbs, or substitute with Nilla Wafers
  • 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted

Method

  • 1)

    Measure out ½ Cup of ube jam and place into a food processor or blender, add ¾ Cup Coconut Cream and blend on high until it’s completely smooth and set aside.

  • 2)

    Fill a large bowl with hot tap water from your sink, place the 2 Large Eggs into the bowl and set aside. Cut the cream cheese into small blocks, place it into a microwave safe bowl. Heat the cream cheese for 15 seconds, take it out, give it a stir than microwave for another 10 seconds then stir and check again – continue with 10 second increments until it’s very soft.

  • 3)

    Place the softened cream cheese into a mixing bowl, add the ube jam and coconut cream mixture, 1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Sweetened Condensed Milk and 1 Teaspoons of Ube Flavoring into the bowl of cream cheese. Use a stand mixer (slowest setting) with the paddle attachment or hand stir with a whisk until it’s smooth. Add 2 Large Eggs and stir until the eggs are completely incorporated. Don’t whisk vigorously, just keep stirring until the batter looks homogeneous. Pour the batter through a or large mesh strainer, use a silicone spatula to press the batter through – this will ensure that you end up with a completely smooth cheesecake – discard any ube bits that did not pass through the strainer.

  • 4)

    Trace the bottom of your 7 inch pan on parchment paper and cut out the circle to line the bottom of the pan.  Use butter to grease the the interior side of the pan very well. Add 1 Cup of Coconut Biscuit crumbs, 2 Tablespoons of Granulated Sugar and 4 Tablespoons of melted Unsalted Butter into a bowl and mix well. Pour the crumbs into your springform pan and press very firmly onto the bottom, use a spoon or something with a flat bottom like a small ramekin to help even out the crust.

  • 5)

    Pour the batter into your cheesecake pan. Pick up the pan and tap it a few times on the counter to even out the batter and this also helps pop air bubbles in your batter. Place a paper towel on top of the pan, it should not touch the cheesecake. Place one piece of foil on top and seal tightly,  then another piece of foil the bottom that wraps up towards the top ~ the entire pan should be covered ~ this helps prevent steam getting on your cheesecake. The cooking time for this recipe is also designed for this wrapping technique (your cheesecake could turn out overcooked if you’re not wrapping the top and bottom)

  • 6)

    INSTANT POT METHOD: Place 1½ Cups of water into the Instant Pot and place the trivet into it. Carefully place the the cheesecake pan on top of the trivet or use an Instant Pot Silicone Sling – (purchase here) If you have a separate sealing ring you use for desserts, place that one on the lid.  Seal the lid and switch the knob to “Sealing”.  Set the Instant Pot for High Pressure / Manual for 45 minutes. Once the timer is up and you hear the beep, wait an additional 20 minutes while the pot releases the pressure naturally.  If the pin hasn’t dropped on it’s own after 20 minutes, switch the knob to “Venting” and when the pin drops open your lid.

    OVEN METHOD: Preheat oven to 325°F. Only wrap the bottom of pan if baking in an oven (no need to wrap the top). Place the springform pan into a larger oven safe pan and pour boiling water into the pan about 1 inch high – the water should not go past the foil. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the center is almost set. The center should be slightly jiggly.

    ***Different Instant Pot models, living in higher elevation or even different springform pans may change the cook time. If there is no jiggle in the very center, the cheesecake is most likely overcooked (overcooked cheesecakes are eggy and grainy instead of creamy), use 5-10 minutes less cooking time next time. If your cheesecake looks like liquid in the middle, it’s under cooked. Make sure there’s still 1½ Cups of water in the pot, recover the pan and cook for another 5 mins on High Pressure and 5 minute natural pressure release (repeat if necessary).

  • 7)

    Carefully remove the cheesecake from the Instant Pot. Unwrap the foil, the pan will still be hot so use mitts or kitchen tongs.  Leave it on the counter to cool for about 2 hours. Cover the pan and place it into the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before serving.   Keep the cheesecake in the baking pan, you don’t want to remove the cheesecake until it’s been cooled. If there’s condensation on the cheesecake, gently dab with a paper towel. Top with homemade Coconut Whipped Cream (recipe here). Enjoy!

↓ Supplies to make this recipe ↓

  

 










16 Comments

  • Kevin

    August 5, 2021 at 2:37 am

    I want to make this for my grandmothers birthday but I was wondering what is the sweetness level for this cheesecake? My family generally likes desserts on the lower end of sweetness so I was wondering if I could reduce the sugar in some way?

    1. Van

      August 6, 2021 at 5:52 pm

      Hi Kevin, I think I responded to you on Instagram, but you could reduced the sweetened condensed milk if you prefer – try 3/4 Cups.

  • Jessica

    August 17, 2021 at 4:31 pm

    I have a question, is there a way to make it without the jam? I’ve been searching and searching for recipes for cheesecake with just extract and no luck. The jam is pretty expensive and my local Asian markets don’t offer it.

    1. Van

      August 20, 2021 at 9:02 am

      Hi Jessica, yes you can make it without the jam, add 2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch to the batter.

  • Judy

    August 28, 2021 at 7:05 am

    Can you use purple potato instead of the Ube jam? I remember your recipe use to have that option.

    1. Van

      September 1, 2021 at 11:41 am

      Hi Judy, yes you can – substitute the Ube Jam with ½ Cup Mashed Ube and use a full can of sweetened condensed milk in the recipe instead of just 1 Cup. I took it out of the instructions to simplify the recipe, but it’s written above the photo of the ube jam / flavoring.

  • Jo Anne Quidilla

    September 23, 2021 at 10:04 am

    How did you make it easy to remove the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan? It stuck to the bottom and broke the cheesecake for me? Thanks

    1. Van

      September 23, 2021 at 11:02 am

      Did you line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper? I also use a large spatula to lift up the cheesecake, the parchment may still be stuck to the bottom & you just peel it off after

      1. Jo Anne

        September 23, 2021 at 10:32 pm

        Yes I did use the liner that you suggested.

  • Kaye

    December 30, 2021 at 10:06 am

    I’ve made this a few times and it’s so delicious! However, I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong because I have trouble each time. When I mix the ingredients together, the cream cheese gets chunky and never smooths out. Then when I go to sift everything into a bowl, the cream cheese chunks stay in the sifter. Am I messing up on the mixing time?

    1. Van

      January 1, 2022 at 9:03 am

      Hi Kaye, if your cream cheese is clumpy it means that you haven’t softened it enough, next time try microwaving it a few more times to make sure that it’s super soft before mixing

  • Jake

    September 1, 2022 at 12:25 pm

    Hi, I have just two questions:
    – Is the coconut cream in this recipe supposed to be sweetened or unsweetened?
    – Does it matter which kind of aluminum foil I use? or does regular versus heavy duty make a difference?

    1. Van

      October 9, 2022 at 3:36 pm

      Hello, it should be the canned coconut milk which is unsweetened. Any foil will work fine

  • Liz

    November 24, 2022 at 4:33 pm

    Mine came out lighter in color – I think I will use more Ube flavoring next time. But the flavor of this cake is just lovely. Wow.

  • Justine

    November 25, 2022 at 4:36 pm

    I’ve made this many times in the past following it exactly. This time I made it, it didn’t set. What am I doing wrong.

    1. Van

      December 6, 2022 at 5:17 pm

      Hi Justine, was this made in the Instant Pot or oven? Did you make any changes to the recipe?

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