May 9, 2017
by Kirbie
Jump to Recipe
Three ingredient Japanese cheesecake is made even easier in the Instant Pot. The result is a light, fluffy, cotton-soft Japanese style cheesecake made in much less time.
A few weeks ago I shared with you my results in making the 3 Ingredient Japanese Cheesecake. While I enjoyed the results, I wanted tofind a way to make the process even easier. And now I have!
I may never go back to making Japanese cheesecake the traditional way. This method is so convenient with delicious results.
What I love about this recipe is that it cooks faster than the oven method and you don’t need a water bath. The cake does shrink after it’s finished, but it doesn’t collapse and the end result is a soft and fluffy Japanese-style cheesecake.
You can eat it right away but for best results, refrigerate for several hours as it will allow the cheese flavor to develop more fully. This is usually recommended for any Japanese-style cheesecake.
Special Tools for this Recipe
Instant Pot 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker (6 Quart version)* | Wilton 6 x 3 inch round cake pan*
*Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
Servings: 5 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Japanese
Light and fluffy Japanese-style cheesecake is even easier in the Instant Pot.
5 from 11 votes
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Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 4 oz white chocolate chips
- 4 oz full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
Instructions
Line the inside of your cake pan with parchment paper.To properly line your cake pan, cut a circle that will fit the bottom of the pan and a long strip that covers the rest of the inside of the pan. Spray the inside of your cake pan with a cooking oil spray before lining with the parchment paper pieces so that the parchment paper stays in place.
Separate your eggs. Keep the egg whites in the fridge until ready to use. Make sure your egg whites do not touch any oil, water or other ingredients or they will not whip to a meringue state if contaminated.
Melt chocolate either over the stove or the microwave. For the stove you can use a double boiler, ormelt the chocolate in a large glass bowl sitting on top of a simmering small pot of water. For the microwave method, microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
Add in the cream cheese and whisk until smooth. If your cream cheese is still too hard, soften slightly in microwave. Make sure your batter is completely smooth before adding in the egg yolks. Add in the egg yolks and whisk until smooth.
Beat your egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer until glossy, stiff peaks form. Make sure they are stiff peaks and not just soft peaks (The tips of the peaks should stand straight up rather than fold over. Check out this reference guide). This is key to keeping your cake from collapsing.
Add one third of the egg whitesto your yellow batter. Gently fold in the egg whites with a spatula until just incorporated and there are no large lumps or large white streaks. Fold in anotherone-third. Fold in the final one-third.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
Add1 1/2 cups of water to your Instant Pot. Place the trivet that came with the pot inside. Place your cake pan directly on top of the trivet, so that it should not touch the water.
Seal your Instant Pot. Set to manual, high pressure, for 17 minutes. Allow the cake to naturally release as it will continue to cook and set during the natural release.
Once the natural release is finished, carefully remove cake from pan. For best tasting results, refrigerate for several hours as it will allow the cheese flavor to more fully develop. However, the cake can be eaten right away but it will have a more eggy souffle-like taste. This is normal for Japanese-style cheesecakes. You cake will also shrink as it cools, but it should not collapse. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Video
Notes
I used theInstant Pot 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker (6 Quart Version)*andWilton 6 x 3 inch round cake pan* to make this recipe
*Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!
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Posted in: Cakes, Gluten Free, Recipes
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90 comments on “Instant Pot 3 Ingredient Japanese Cheesecake”
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Suzanne Goodwin Wang — April 21, 2022 @ 4:45 pm Reply
I wonder if a small amount of lemon zest would brighten it up? Add to the final batter?
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — April 22, 2022 @ 8:25 am Reply
Let us know if you try it!
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Linda N. — March 21, 2022 @ 12:27 pm Reply
Can I bake this traditionally without a
pressure cooker or insta-pot?-
Kirbie's Cravings Team — March 23, 2022 @ 5:55 am Reply
We have a Baked Japanese Cheesecake you can try!
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Carol Godwin — September 6, 2021 @ 1:49 pm Reply
5 star because it looks great. Question is: can you make it in a regular pressure cooker? As I have several I don’t plan to buy an Instant Pot.
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Kirbie — September 8, 2021 @ 2:29 am Reply
I only own an Instant Pot so I have not tested it with regular pressure cooker. I think it should work but timing may be different.
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Cindy C — March 27, 2021 @ 11:33 am Reply
I love Japanese cheese cake but I’m not much of a baker. This recipe was straight forward and easy to follow. Not to mention much easier and faster than baking. It turned out just the way I like it. Fluffy and lightly sweet. Thank you for sharing! Question, how do I make the cream cheese not lumpy? I left it in room temperature for about 5 hours, but had to manually press the lumps flat when mixing with the melted white chocolate.
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Kirbie — March 28, 2021 @ 11:31 pm Reply
I’m so glad it worked out for you. What brand of cream cheese did you use? I always use Philadelphia brand when making cheesecake. When I use other brands I always have lumps also but the Philadelphia one always mixes easily.
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Heather — March 15, 2021 @ 9:47 am Reply
So I made this exactly as per your recipe and it was perfect….unfortunately so easy to make, I’m gonna get fat! Now I’ve made it again and used dark chocolate chips. Came out excellent but not quite as light and fluffy as the original and a little more shrinkage than the original. I’m not a great chocolate lover and this is extreme chocolate but adding whipped cream and fresh raspberries or strawberries and it was superb! Next time I’m going to try milk chocolate and the one after that will be pumpkin spice chips! Thanks for fattening me up! ?
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Kirbie — March 16, 2021 @ 1:34 am Reply
I’m glad the recipe worked out! The different variations sound delicious.
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Michele — March 5, 2021 @ 6:49 am Reply
You mentioned melting chocolate, which wasn’t an ingredient. Is this supposed to be a chocolate cheesecake?
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Kirbie — March 5, 2021 @ 10:57 am Reply
white chocolate is one of the three ingredients in this cheesecake.
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Abigaile — January 19, 2021 @ 7:31 pm Reply
I added mascarpone cheese and butter using your original recipe, turned out well. Next time, I would cut down the amount of white chocolate by 50%, way too sweet for my taste with 4 oz. Thank you for sharing this simple and easy to do recipe.
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Kirbie — January 20, 2021 @ 1:27 am Reply
I’m glad you got it to work for you!
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Teresa — January 23, 2021 @ 9:43 pm Reply
Mascarpone IS sweetened cream cheese, that’s the cause of your sweetness.
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Roan — March 31, 2021 @ 1:10 am
This comment is misleading. Mascarpone is a milder fresh cheese from France. It isn’t as sour as cream cheese but it isn’t a sweetened form of cream cheese. It predates cream cheese. If anything, it just wouldn’t offer as much to contrast with the sweetness of the chocolate.
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julia — September 12, 2020 @ 2:07 pm Reply
I accidently got egg yolk into the egg whites while separating the egg, so ended up just beating the egg yolk & whites together for 10 min, & it still came out fine!
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Kirbie — September 14, 2020 @ 12:58 am Reply
I’m glad it still worked out for you!
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Jean — March 9, 2022 @ 5:05 am
Hi! Do I need to cover the cake pan with aluminium foil? Will water collect on the cake or will it just evaporate or something?
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — March 9, 2022 @ 10:27 am
You don’t need to cover the cake.
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Candice — September 12, 2020 @ 1:37 pm Reply
I made this last night–tasted just like Uncle Tetsu Japanese cheesecake! Delicious and easy. I think I might have overwhipped the egg whites because I got a poofy souffle top instead of flat like your photo, but I just inverted it onto a plate anyway so it was fine. Texture and taste were both perfect. Thank you for the easy recipe. Using the IP meant that I could make dessert and dinner at the same time. 🙂 At first it did seem like it might be too wet, but it evaporated off like you said it would.
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Kirbie — September 14, 2020 @ 12:59 am Reply
I’m so happy the recipe worked well for you! Uncle Tetsu is my favorite Japanese cheesecake 🙂
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Stephon Walker — May 21, 2020 @ 7:49 pm Reply
Very easy and tasty. I wouldn’t say it was fluffy; it had the consistency of a standard cheesecake, which was fine with me.
FWIW, I skipped the confectioners sugar, and still found the cake pleasantly sweet.
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Kirbie — June 4, 2020 @ 6:00 pm Reply
I’m glad it worked out for you
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Sally — May 15, 2020 @ 9:34 am Reply
Hello, I have a 3QT instant pot so should I use half the recipe? what about the cooking time? Much thanks!
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Kirbie — May 23, 2020 @ 11:28 pm Reply
Sorry I have not tested in a 3qt IP.
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Sally — December 25, 2020 @ 6:55 pm Reply
Hi do you put in fridge immediately even if it is still warm? I left it on the counter before refrigeration.
I made with chocolate chip and you are right, it is more chocolatey but still good.
Thanks!
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Kirbie — April 17, 2021 @ 12:25 am
I let it cool for a bit on the counter before putting it in the fridge.
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Wendy — May 9, 2020 @ 2:53 am Reply
Hi, thank you for the easy recipe, I’ve tried it twice now. Unfortunately they have come out too wet. Have you got any suggestions? Do you think maybe I should cook it for longer?
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Wendy — May 9, 2020 @ 2:55 am Reply
Forgot to say I doubled the recipe and used a 7.5cm tin but cooked it for the same time as per another person.
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Kirbie — May 19, 2020 @ 9:56 pm Reply
if you doubled the recipe then cooking time should be different, so it sounds like you do need to cook longer.
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Audrey — May 5, 2020 @ 10:23 am Reply
Hi there, would I be able to use a 5 inch pan without adjusting the ingredients amount? Would the cooktime stay the same? Thank you!
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Kirbie — May 19, 2020 @ 9:13 am Reply
You would need to adjust for a 5 inch pan because the cake will be much thicker. I don’t know what the cook time would be since I have not tested with a 5 inch.
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Yvette — April 29, 2020 @ 7:30 am Reply
Thanks for such an easy, yummy recipe! I didn’t have a cake pan that fit so used a Pyrex bowl… still came out great! Will definitely be saving this recipe.
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Kirbie — May 5, 2020 @ 8:46 am Reply
I’m glad it worked out!
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Alison — June 20, 2020 @ 5:29 pm Reply
Did you need to use parchment paper in the Pyrex bowl? Or was it sufficient to simply grease it?
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Judy — April 25, 2020 @ 10:36 pm Reply
How did you remove the cake from the pan? Put a plate on the pan and flip upside down onto plate? Also would this recipe work with a spring form pan? And maybe line outside of spring pan with aluminum foil?
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Kirbie — May 4, 2020 @ 6:52 pm Reply
I was able to slide the cake out carefully since it pulls away from the pan and shrinks after it cools. I have not tried in a springform
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MA Reisse — April 11, 2020 @ 9:34 am Reply
Can you use cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites, or isn’t that recommended?
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Kirbie — April 14, 2020 @ 9:58 am Reply
I have not tested with cream of tartar
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Beth — April 1, 2020 @ 5:18 pm Reply
I doubled the recipe and cooked it for 34 minutes and it’s very fluffy and golden brown on the bottom. Just perfect. Thank you!
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Kirbie — April 2, 2020 @ 11:01 am Reply
I’m happy it worked out well for you!
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Emory — March 21, 2020 @ 11:41 pm Reply
Thank you so much for this recipe! First off, let me say that this was a wonderful project as my fiance and I socially isolate, what a spirit lifting treat it turned out to be. It was like eating a confectionery cloud!
I tried to follow the recipe as close as I could, but I did have to improvise a bit… cream cheese was not available, so I strained some home-made yogurt ’til it had a dense (cream-cheese like) consistency and I used a 6″x2″ pan. It was so good that I will be making another one tomorrow.
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Kirbie — March 23, 2020 @ 10:07 am Reply
I’m glad you got it to work even without the cream cheese!
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Carl — July 30, 2019 @ 9:20 pm Reply
How long does natural release normally take? Mine went for about 30 minutes and the cake comes out a bit wet. I wonder if I put too much water.
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Kirbie — July 31, 2019 @ 9:09 am Reply
30 minutes sounds about right. Did the cake stay wet? When you first open the Instant Pot, the cake may be a bit wet but it should dry quickly. This is normal for most foods cooked in the IP. If the cake did not settle and dry off quickly then you may have put in too much water. You only need 1 1/2 cups.
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Kristie — August 28, 2019 @ 8:28 pm
I made this tonight but it didn’t turn out as I had hoped. The taste was great but the texture and consistency was off. It was very dense,, not light or fluffy like I was hoping. I added a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract but other than that followed the recipe. I used a 6 inch by 3 inch round pan, is that the correct size? Any tips/ advice would be appreciated!
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Kirbie — August 30, 2019 @ 10:53 am
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like your egg whites were mixed too much. The key to the fluffy texture is the whipped egg whites. when they are folded into the batter, they must be gently folded in with a spatula. You need to be careful to not stir/fold too hard because that will deflate all the air that was whipped into the egg whites. The batter should look very light and fluffy. Hope this helps.
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Sue — May 13, 2019 @ 8:05 am Reply
I’ve made this recipe several times now, in a seven inch pan and it is delectable after being chilled. I’ve doubled the recipe too and it is an easy, delicious recipe to make. Thank you so much.
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Kirbie — May 13, 2019 @ 10:33 am Reply
That’s so great to hear! I’ve been meaning to try doubling the recipe. Maybe a project for a long weekend. =)
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Marina — November 24, 2020 @ 11:12 pm Reply
What time setting did you place it when you double recipe? TIA
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P — April 12, 2019 @ 2:45 pm Reply
Is it ok to cut down the white choco chips in this recipe? Just don’t know if the amount of choco chips in the recipe would make the cake too sweet:)
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Kirbie — April 15, 2019 @ 10:56 am Reply
I do not recommend cutting down on the white chocolate. If you make the cake as is, I think you will find it is similar to other Japanese cheesecakes and is not too sweet
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Nanea — March 19, 2019 @ 11:53 am Reply
Would I be able to use this recipe with a rice pot instead and just follow your rice pot recipe instructions ?
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Kirbie — March 20, 2019 @ 10:06 am Reply
I have not tested this in a rice pot
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Heather — October 22, 2018 @ 9:46 am Reply
Hi! This looks interesting. I’m considering taking it to a potluck but would have to make it the night before. Will it be as good – or should I save this for a time when I can make it closer to eating time? Thanks!
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Kirbie — October 23, 2018 @ 10:11 am Reply
This cake actually should be refrigerated for several hours before serving, so making it the night before is fine. You mentioned bringing this to a potluck– Please keep in mind that the cake is quite small. It cooks in a 6 inch pan and will shrink more after it is done setting.
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Zane — August 18, 2018 @ 3:28 pm Reply
My cheesecake seemed oily and was pretty caved in after taking it out of the pot. I feel I followed all the steps exactly. What could cause that?
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Kirbie — August 21, 2018 @ 8:55 am Reply
it sounds like your batter separated during cooking and your egg whites didn’t lift the cake as it should. Your batter may have separate if it wasn’t uniform before adding in the egg whites. And when you add in the egg whites, they need to be gently folded in so that they don’t lose the air whipped into them.
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Brian — July 20, 2019 @ 5:48 pm Reply
Do you use actual white chocolate (which typically only comes in bar form) or do you use the white baking morsels?
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Vivien — July 4, 2018 @ 4:58 am Reply
Hi, am I able to cook this in a regular oven as I don’t have an instant cook pot?? Thankyou Vivien ?
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Kirbie — July 12, 2018 @ 7:55 am Reply
this version is designed specifically for Instant Pot. The oven version is here: https://kirbiecravings.com/3-ingredient-japanese-cheesecake/
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Carol Newman — May 21, 2018 @ 4:21 pm Reply
I made this over this past weekend. It sunk in overnight as expected, but it was delicious. I surrounded it with fan cut strawberries.
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Kirbie — October 5, 2018 @ 3:19 pm Reply
glad you enjoyed it!
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Heather — April 28, 2018 @ 5:40 pm Reply
Mine doesn’t jiggle much. Is this because of the size or did I mess up a step somewhere. I’ve never had Japanese cheesecake before but it’s been on my list of things to try for a while.
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Kirbie — May 2, 2018 @ 9:04 am Reply
This version isn’t supposed to be that jiggly. It’s a shortcut version and it’s also a smaller version that the traditional ones. Hopefully it still tasted good!
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Heather — May 4, 2018 @ 3:02 am
It did taste good! Very similar to baking it in the oven. Thank you for this recipe.
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Kirbie — May 7, 2018 @ 9:55 am
yay!
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Scox — April 8, 2018 @ 1:29 pm Reply
Should the baked cake stay in the pan and parchment paper during the cooling period in the fridge?
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Kirbie — April 23, 2018 @ 9:50 am Reply
No, it’s best to remove the cake right away as stated in the last step. And then you can cool the cake in the fridge without the pan.
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KTO — February 8, 2018 @ 9:51 am Reply
What type of pan do you use??
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Kirbie — February 15, 2018 @ 9:43 am Reply
the pan I used is linked both in the recipe box notes and right above the recipe box.
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Wendy — February 2, 2018 @ 2:02 pm Reply
Do you need to cover the cake batter and pan with foil before pressuring it so extra moisture doesn’t collect on the cake top?
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Kirbie — February 23, 2018 @ 11:24 am Reply
No, I didn’t find that to be a problem
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Vicky — December 27, 2017 @ 7:16 pm Reply
Baking newbie here. Is the parchment paper necessary? Or can I coat the pan well with butter or oil before I bake?
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Kirbie — January 3, 2018 @ 10:49 am Reply
you should definitely use the parchment paper! otherwise it will be very hard to remove the cake even if you oil the pan.
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Jamie Davis — December 27, 2017 @ 5:15 pm Reply
How would I adjust this recipe for the 3qt duo mini IP?
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Kirbie — January 8, 2018 @ 11:14 am Reply
sorry I do not have a 3qt duo mini so I am not sure.
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Anne — December 1, 2017 @ 11:28 pm Reply
I have four 4 inch round springform pans….and two 4 inch round springform pans….can we stack pans on top of each other off center ? to get four cheesecakes done at once?
Also, does time get shortened if smaller pans are used – distributing the same amount of batter.?-
Kirbie — December 2, 2017 @ 2:14 pm Reply
The cooking time would change for the smaller pans. It might actually take longer as they would be thicker. I have not tried stacking two pans so I’m not sure what the result would be.
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Kathy — November 19, 2017 @ 7:27 am Reply
Does it need to be full fat cream cheese? Thanks for the recipe!
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Kirbie — November 20, 2017 @ 9:28 am Reply
yes it does!
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Phuong — October 20, 2017 @ 7:37 pm Reply
What do you think about adding 1 tbsp of matcha to make a green tea version?
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Kirbie — October 24, 2017 @ 8:52 am Reply
I think making a matcha flavored one sounds great. 1 tbsp might not be enough though to get a good green tea flavor and color
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julie — August 25, 2017 @ 6:56 pm Reply
Have you tried this using chocolate chips??
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Kirbie — August 28, 2017 @ 9:24 am Reply
I have not. They might sink to the bottom, I’m not sure. Also the flavor of the cake is pretty delicate so the chocolate flavor might overwhelm, but you can definitely try it out
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Tina — July 2, 2017 @ 9:28 am Reply
I would like to make this in a 7 inch push pan. Do I need to adjust the cooking time?
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Kirbie — July 5, 2017 @ 8:47 am Reply
yes you would need to adjust time. I don’t know by how much as I have not tried it myself. Also, I’m not sure if a 7 inch pan would fit? inside the pot.
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Marion — July 1, 2017 @ 8:52 am Reply
Wow, this cooked up so nicely. It’s chilling now but if it tastes as good cooked as the raw batter did, I’m happy!
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Kirbie — July 5, 2017 @ 8:50 am Reply
i hope it came out well!
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