Caramel Coconut Cheesecake | Instant Pot recipe

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This Coconut Caramel Cheesecake is inspired by my favorite Girl Scout cookie and features a rich, New York–style cheesecake crowned with an ooey-gooey caramel coconut topping and a chocolate drizzle.

A close up picture of an Instant Pot Samoa cheesecake, with Samoa Girl Scout cookies, caramels, and toasted coconut in the background.

You might know the cookies as Samoas or Caramel Delites, depending on your area. No matter what you call them, they’re my absolute favorite! 

Crunchy cookie meets soft coconut caramel, with a little kiss of chocolate on top.

Turns out, those flavors are SO MUCH better when you serve them on top of a cheesecake. This recipe is a must-try!

⚠️ IMPORTANT: If this is your first time making cheesecake in an Instant Pot, read my How to Make Perfect Pressure Cooker Cheesecake Guide.

TLDR: All cold ingredients should be at room temperature before mixing and DO NOT overmix your cheesecake batter. 

Anoverhaed picture of an Instant Pot Samoa cheesecake with Samoa Girl Scout cookies in the background.

Frequently Asked Questions about Making Caramel Coconut Cheesecake

Why two eggs and one egg yolk? Can I just use three eggs? 

In our testing, we were happiest with the results from two full eggs and one egg yolk.

Three full eggs makes the cheesecake too liquid and it doesn’t set right. But the cheesecake made with only two eggs was more dry and less rich.

What’s the best way to cut cheesecake? 

Since the cheesecake has a thick caramel topping, it is important to cut it before the topping has chilled.

Fill a tall, heavy-bottomed glass with hot water. Place a sharp knife in the water and allow to heat. Remove the knife and wipe on a dry towel. Place your knife at the mid-point of the cheesecake and firmly press down through the cheesecake (but gently enough it doesn’t smash). Make sure your knife has gone all the way through the crust.

Pull your knife towards you, pressing down until it is completely removed. Wipe away any cheesecake residue from the knife, then return the knife to the glass of hot water. Repeat until the cheesecake is cut into even slices. 

(Note that the caramel-coconut topping will be much more difficult to cut if you’ve refrigerated it before cutting. If you have leftovers, I recommend cutting all of the slices *before* you return the cheesecake to the refrigerator.)

Can I make this in an 8-quart Instant Pot with an 8-inch pan? 

You absolutely can! However, I would recommend changing up the cheesecake ingredients to follow our 8-quart cheesecake recipe. (Though using the chocolate graham crackers in the crust.)

I would recommend making a 1.5 batch of the caramel-coconut topping.

How should I store leftover cheesecake? 

As mentioned above, be sure to slice the cheesecake before returning it to the fridge. Store leftovers tightly wrapped in plastic in the fridge for up to four days. (After a day or two, the crust will begin to get soggy. It will still be safe to eat, but the crust texture might not be as nice.)

Cheesecake also freezes really well in individual slices. If you do choose to freeze this one, make sure to defrost in the fridge overnight.
 
Prior to eating, set the slices on the counter for a little while to allow the caramel to soften.

Want lots of in-depth information about making this recipe? You can now find it below the recipe card.


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A close up picture of an Instant Pot Samoa cheesecake with Samoa Girl Scout cookies in the background.

Coconut Caramel Cheesecake

Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Additional Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
Total Time: 13 hours 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
This Coconut Caramel Cheesecake, inspired by the popular Girl Scout cookie, features a New York–style cheesecake on a chocolate graham cracker crust, all topped with a gooey caramel and toasted coconut spread and finished with a chocolate drizzle.
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup crushed chocolate graham cracker cookies
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • 12 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
  • 12 chewy caramels unwrapped (I prefer Kraft)
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup chopped semisweet chocolate

Instructions

  • Prepare the Crust
  • Prepare a 7-inch springform pan by coating it with nonstick spray.
  • In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter. Spread evenly in the bottom and up the side of the pan. Place the crust in the freezer while you mix the cheesecake batter.
  • Prepare the Cheesecake Batter
  • In a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed just until smooth. Blend in the heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla, and flour. Mix in eggs one at a time, just until blended. DO NOT OVERMIX.
  • Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust in the prepared springform pan. Cover the top of the springform pan with aluminum foil. (We used nonstick foil for this.)
  • Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooking pot, and place a trivet in the bottom. Carefully center the filled pan on a sling* and lower it into the pressure cooking pot. Fold the sling down so that it doesn’t interfere with closing the lid.
  • Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and a 35 minute cook time. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
  • Remove the cheesecake from the cooking pot and take off the foil. Check the cheesecake to see if the middle is set. (If not, re-cover the cheesecake with foil and return to the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for an additional 5 minutes and a 10 minute release.)
  • Remove the springform pan to a wire rack to cool. Remove aluminum foil. If needed, use the corner of a paper towel to absorb any water that may have accumulated on top of the cheesecake. Cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours.).
  • Just prior to serving, prepare the topping:
  • Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until coconut is golden. Cool on a baking sheet.
  • When the coconut is cool, place caramels and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds. When the caramel is smooth, stir in the toasted coconut. Carefully spread the topping evenly over the top of the cheesecake.
  • Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on 50% power, stirring often. When melted, put the chocolate in a small Ziploc bag, snip off a little corner of the bag, then drizzle over the top of the caramel-coconut mixture.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

*You can make your own sling with a 20 inch piece of aluminum foil, folded three times lengthwise.
Top cheesecake just before serving. Slice the entire cheesecake before returning leftovers to the fridge. 

Nutrition

Calories: 676kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 372mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 1328IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1mg

This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Cosori.

Ingredients for making Instant Pot Samoa cheesecake, including, sour cream, cream cheese, vanilla, crushed Oreo cookies, milk, caramels, chocolate, coconut, and eggs.

INGREDIENTS FOR CARAMEL COCONUT CHEESECAKE

Don’t be intimidated by the number of ingredients! While the finished cheesecake looks impressive, it’s pretty simple to put together. 

  • Chocolate graham crackers: We liked the way chocolate graham crackers. If you can’t find those, you can use Nilla Wafers, graham crackers, or Oreos for your crust. 
  • Melted butter: We generally use unsalted in our cheesecakes, and it helps the crusts stay together.
  • Cream cheese: We recommend using full-fat original cream cheese at room temperature.
  • Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is best for this recipe. Make sure that when you mix it in, you’re not whipping it like cookie dough; just stir until combined for best results. 
  • Heavy cream: The heavy cream here helps your cheesecake cook up lighter and less dense. 
  • Sour cream: We love the tang that sour cream gives to cheesecake. 
  • Vanilla: Gives a gentle flavor. For cheesecake I’m making for guests, I prefer to use Nielson-Massey’s Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste. Otherwise, I just use regular Costco vanilla. 
  • Flour: Just a small amount of flour helps firm up the cheesecake’s texture to ensure it bakes evenly.
  • Eggs: We use large eggs in this recipe. 
  • Shredded coconut: We prefer sweetened coconut, since it’s closer to the original Girl Scout Cookie flavor. 
  • Caramels: Chewy, soft caramels like Kraft work best for this recipe. 
  • Semi-sweet chocolate: We prefer to use a baking bar for ease of melting. 
An overhead picture of an Instant Pot that has a cheesecake covered in foil and ready to cooke, with coconut, caramel, and chopped chocolate in the background.

How to Make Coconut Caramel Cheesecake in an Instant Pot

Make sure you plan ahead for this recipe (1) so you have enough time for your ingredients to come to room temperature before you mix them and (2) so you can chill your cheesecake until it’s really, truly set. (Cheesecake tastes best if it has chilled in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours after pressure cooking.)

Before you start to cook: double check—are you using room temperature ingredients? If so, then let’s begin.

Start by making the graham cracker crust

Adding melted butter to the cookie crust ensures that it holds its shape well when cooked. So you don’t have to worry about anything falling apart! Pop it in the freezer to set.

An overhead picture of a mixing bowl with cream cheese, adding vanilla and flour, with eggs, coconut, graham crackers, caramels, and chocolate in the background.

Next up, it’s time to make the batter

Repeat after me: don’t over mix, don’t over mix, don’t over mix. Stir together the cream cheese and sugar until just mixed. Err on the side of slightly undermixed than overmixed. 

Then add the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and flour, mixing until just combined. Then, the eggs, one at a time, again—don’t over mix.

Pour the batter on top of the prepared crust, then cover tightly with aluminum foil. (I prefer to cook most cheesecakes uncovered because they cook a bit faster. However, for this Samoa cookie inspired Cheesecake, I opted to cook it covered.)

Place the water in the cooking pot, along with a low trivet. Use a sling to carefully lower the filled cheesecake on the trivet. Then lock the lid, and cook at High Pressure with a 35 minute cook time and a 10 minute natural release.

Check the cheesecake to ensure it’s cooked through. Since this is a dense New York-style cheesecake, which requires a longer cooking time, your cheesecake will almost certainly register above 140°F when it’s finished cooking.

An overhead picture of an Instant Pot cheesecake ready for topping with coconut, caramel, and chocolate in the background.

Chill baby chill

Let your cheesecake cool to room temperature, then cover and pop it in the fridge. There it will stay, ideally until you want to serve it the next day. 

An overhead picture of caramel candies placed in a glass bowl with milk to melt, with toasted coconut and chopped chocolate in the background.

Make the topping

If you want to, you can toast the coconut ahead of time so it’s ready to go. But wait to melt the caramel until you’re nearly ready to serve it. 

(The caramel will get break-your-teeth-off hard when you refrigerate it, hence the right-before-eating recommendation.)

I like to use the microwave to melt the caramel, but if you have another method that works better for you, absolutely use it!

Use a large spoon or offset spatula to carefully spread the topping. It will cool quickly when it touches the cold cheesecake, so it’s something you want to get to good enough and then hands off. 

Melt the chocolate, drizzle it on top, and serve immediately.

A close up picture of an Instant Pot Samoa cheesecake with Samoa Girl Scout cookies in the background.

Products for Making Instant Pot Cheesecake

I find it’s much easier to accidentally overmix your cheesecake if you’re using a stand mixer. Therefore, I always use my hand mixer for cheesecakes

You’ll need a cute little 7 Inch Springform Pan to make this Samoa cheesecake in the pressure cooker. A regular 9″ springform pan won’t fit in a 6-qt electric pressure cooker.

A trivet is a must. Most pressure cookers come with a low trivet that you can use in this recipe. However, if yours hasn’t, you can purchase a 6-inch round trivet. (I’ve had mine for over a decade, and it’s still going strong.)

Also, you should either buy sling or make a foil sling to help lower your springform pan in and out of the pressure cooking pot. This will prevent the cheesecake pan from sliding. You can also use a combination trivet-and-sling to make it extra easy to remove from the cooking pot.

The equipment you use in your pressure cooker, the altitude you’re cooking at, and even the humidity level will affect the total cook time you need. Therefore, the easiest way to know your cheesecake is done is to use an instant-read thermometer. When the middle reaches at least 140°F, your cheesecake is safe to eat. 

A little pie server makes it much easier to get pretty cheesecake slices off of the small springform pan.

A Personal Note

I don’t know about you, but I loved seeing (and couldn’t say no to) the Girl Scouts selling cookies this spring. 

This was my daughter’s first year selling Girl Scout cookies. I don’t want to gush, but I am honestly so amazed at how a simple cookie sales program transformed my little girl. 

A bright green homemade poster with lots of cut-outs of items from the Girl Scout Camp Catalogue, featuring images of girls on horses, girls on a ropes course, girls roasting marshmallows over the fire. In addition, there are cartoon pandas with a goal tracker in 25% increments. And handwritten CAMP!!! words spread haphazardly throughout the poster.
Handmade poster about her goals for the proceeds of her cookie sales. (She earned it!)

At the beginning of the season, my daughter was in tears from the stress of asking two very nice ladies to buy cookies from her. By the end of the season, a few months later, she was able to confidently talk to other grown-ups with a smile. She was actually enjoying it!

So a round of applause to all of you who supported your local Girl Scout troop this year by buying cookies or even just talking to the girls at their cookie booths. 

The impact is profound.

And, of course, I couldn’t spend so much time surrounded by Girl Scout cookies without thinking about one of my very favorite cheesecakes. 🙂 

A slice of Samoa cheesecake with Samoa Girl Scout cookies, an Instant Pot, and the remainder of the cheesecake on a platter in the background.

More Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipes

We really, really love making cheesecake in an Instant Pot. It’s been nearly 15 years since we made our first pressure cooker cheesecake, and we just can’t stop. 

Here are a few more favorites to try:

A very close-up shot of s'mores cheesecake topped with marshmallows, graham crackers, and melted Hershey's chocolate, placed on a wooden cutting board.

S’mores Cheesecake: Take your favorite campfire flavors to another level with this decadent dessert. Bonus! No smoky, sticky mess!

Instant Pot orange cheesecake on a white plate, topped with fresh sliced oranges and a sprig of rosemary.

Orange Cranberry Cheesecake: Do you love Dreamcicles in the summer? This cheesecake is that level of happiness. (Pair it with the cranberry sauce and it’s suddenly the dessert Christmas dreams are made of.) 

overhead of peanut butter cheesecake with reeses cups on top

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake: Do you love Reese’s peanut butter candies? Do you love cheesecake? This is the dessert for you—perfect, decadent, with peanut butter cups in the batter as well as on top. A single slice goes a long way.

Narrow close-up of four mini mason jars filled with mini tropical cheesecakes, topped with crushed pineapple topping and a maraschino cherry on top

Want to mix it up? These cute tropical Mini Cheesecakes made in itty-bitty mason jars are full of island flavors with a coconut cookie crust, coconut cream batter, and a sweet pineapple topping. 

Pressure Cooker cheesecake bites / pops made in an Instant Pot and decorated with various toppings on a platter.

Did you know you can also use your pressure cooker to make cheesecake bites? Pressure cook the cheesecake, scoop and freeze them into pops, then dip them in chocolate and decorate. 


Looking for More Coconut Caramel Desserts? These ones aren’t made in the pressure cooker, but they’ve got the same magical flavor combinations: 


Pressure Cooker Samoa Cheesecake on a white cake stand
This recipe was originally published in April 2015.

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