Instant Pot Salted Caramel Cheesecake with Almond-Pecan Crust (Grain-Free, Naturally-Sweetened)

Gluten-free instant pot cheesecake for the win, y’all! If you own an Instant Pot, this is a must-try. It was such a sacrifice – developing this recipe. But for you, my dear readers, I was willing to do hard things. Like eat cheesecake every day for a week straight so that I could perfect the recipe for you. I know, I know, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it. My husband was especially bummed* when I told him that I had to make it just one more time with a couple of final tweaks. *Not even a little bit true. For the record, I honestly was getting tired of cheesecake by the end of this process, so I wrapped up the 2nd-to-last one I made, and froze it for a rainy day. Hours after I put it into the freezer, hubby came downstairs, opened the fridge, and turned to me with puppy dog eyes. “Where’s the cheesecake?!” he asked with slight panic in his voice. Amused, I showed him the half-frozen cheesecake in the freezer, and crisis was thankfully averted. This naturally-sweetened, grain-free and gluten-free instant pot cheesecake combines a salted caramel taste (thanks to the magic of coconut palm sugar) with a buttery grain-free crust made from pecans and almond flour. It’s all topped off with a light and sweet fruity combo that creates a true thing of beauty. Your tastebuds will thank you, and your health will too! It’s definitely not an everyday treat kinda thing, but if you want something for a special occasion without the grains or refined sugars, this is the recipe for you. Heck, even if you’re all aboard the grains and refined sugar train, this recipe will STILL impress you. I know this for a fact because I gave some of our cheesecake bounty to my neighbours (who regularly consume grains and sugar) and they gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. She said, and I quote: “I wouldn’t tweak a thing!” I’m calling that a definite win. And, of course, it’s all made with my favourite new kitchen tool: the instant pot. (I mean – if it can produce this magical potato salad recipe, it’s obviously BFF material, right?) <—This is the exact model I have (click to see it on amazon) but lots of people with smaller families prefer the 6qt, which is currently selling for just $99! Even as a devoted instant pot fan, I will readily admit that there are many things that you can make in an instant pot that aren’t that much easier. Most of the time I find that the biggest benefit is when you can make the recipe significantly faster than the stove, oven, or slow-cooker. But cheesecake? It’s a whole different ball game, people. I was always kind of intimidated by cheesecake recipes that you bake in the oven. You have to put it in a water bath, you have to let it sit for a while, etc. etc. It just feels like so much margin for error when you’re a busy mom with a million distractions. I love that I can just press the crust into the pan, pour the filling on top, plunk it (gently, ha!) into the instant pot and hit a button. And voila – cheesecake. LOVE it. Here’s the recipe. The combo of the buttery, nutty crust with the salted caramel cheesecake filling (and the light fruity accompaniments) was inspired by a gluten-free cheesecake on the menu at a local restaurant. It was the stuff of dreams, but the high price tag on fancy desserts at a steakhouse motivated me to come up with my own version. Plus, mine’s healthier, so I win! Enjoy! Looking for more posts like this one? Check these out:

• 19 Easy (Real Food) Instant Pot Recipes for Hesitant Beginners
• 4 Things I Learned About My Instant Pot in the First 6 Months