The best and easiest Pumpkin Roll recipe with a moist and tender crumb, filled with smooth cream cheese frosting. I have the best trick to make this simple and completely mess-free!
Do you love pumpkin recipes? Try Pumpkin Spice Eggnog, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, or Pumpkin Cake!
Our Pumpkin Roll is No-Fuss, No-Mess, All Flavor
Our Pumpkin Roll is No-Fuss, No-Mess, All FlavorDon't be intimidated to make pumpkin roll! It's the most basic sheet cake, rolled up to look fancier than it is. And we don't mess with your Grandma's old-fashioned method of dumping the cake on a towel covered in powdered sugar –what a mess! My method is the easiest and works great every single time! If you want to take this dessert to the next level, try using homemade pumpkin purée.
How to make a Pumpkin Roll:
Prep Pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 10×15” pan with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper and leaving an extra inch of parchment paper hanging over the long sides so you can easily lift it up after it bakes. Lightly spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray.
Make Batter: Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Mix eggs, vanilla, sugar, and pumpkin in a separate bowl, until smooth. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients, just stirring until combined.
Bake: Pour batter in prepared pan, spreading into an even layer. Bake for 13-16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Watch it closely since every oven is different. Remove from oven. Lift the parchment paper up and place on a heat-safe flat surface. While cake is hot, start at a short end and slowly roll the cake inside the parchment paper all the way. Let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
- Tip: It's very important to roll up the cake when it's hot from the oven, so it doesn't crack. The hot cake is soft, pliable, and will roll and set in this shape, so it doesn't crack.
Add Filling: Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer until it's fluffy and smooth. Carefully unroll cooled pumpkin cake then gently smooth the filling in an even layer. Roll up the pumpkin swiss roll back up, without the parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serve: Dust the top of the pumpkin roll cake with powdered sugar, if desired. Cut into slices and serve. Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The assembled pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling can be made and refrigerated, covered, for 1-2 days. Or if you just want to make the cake part ahead of time, you can bake it, roll it in parchment paper to cool, then refrigerate it while it's rolled in the parchment paper for one day before spreading the frosting. Keep leftovers covered and in the refrigerator.
To Freeze: Wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely overnight in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
More Fall Cake Recipes:
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Fresh Apple Cake
- Carrot Cake Loaf
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Mug Cake
- Apple Coffee Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Gingerbread Cake
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Homemade Rum Cake
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Recipe
Pumpkin Roll
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin (or homemade pumpkin puree)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 2 Tablespoons butter , softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar , plus more for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prep Pan: Lightly grease a jelly roll pan (10 x 15'') with non stick cooking spray. Place parchment paper on top so it sticks, leaving an extra inch of parchment sticking up on both long sides of the pan so that you can easily lift the cake out after baking. Lightly grease the parchment paper.
- Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
- Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla and pumpkin until smooth.
- Combine: Add dry ingredients to the bowl and stir just until combined and no dry streaks remain. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Every oven is different, so watch it closely.
- Roll: Immediately lift the payment paper and hot cake out of the pan and onto a flat (heat-safe) surface. While the cake is hot, starting at a short end, gently and slowly roll the cake (and parchment paper!) all the way up. Allow it to cool completely, on top of a wire cooling rack. (This allows it to cool underneath the roll, and keeps the cake from sweating).
- Frosting: While the cake roll is cooling, mix the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer until it is fluffy and smooth. Once the cake roll is cooled completely, unroll it very carefully. Gently smooth the filling in an even layer over the cake, leaving a 1-inch border.
- Roll up the frosted cake without the parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, before serving.
- Serve: Dust the top with powdered sugar, if desired. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe October 2014. Updated September 2017, October 2019 and October 2024.
Original recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I've added more spices.
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Love this recipe! I have friends/family ask for these pumpkin rolls on repeat!
Oh my goodness, this recipe is fantastic!!!!!! I made 1 on Thursday to freeze for Thanksgiving, but the hubby liked it so much that he ate half of it. It was easier than I expected and I have since made 2 more that are hidden in the freezer!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Tried this recipe this week, my first time ever making a pumpkin roll cake. It was so easy and so good! I got lots of compliments on it!
I just started making these this week and WOW!! They are a HUGE HIT AROUND THIS HOUSE. THANK YOU.. AN SO EASY TO PUT TOGETHER. . this is a HUGE mood lifter cause I feel like I’m baking like a PRO.. 😁❤
This is the BEST pumpkin roll recipe ever! Made it three times so far, and each time, turned out perfect. So delicious and MUCH easier than the old tea-towel method. Wish I would have had this recipe 30 years ago! Thank you so much, Lauren! 🤗
Should definitely grease the parchment paper and roll in a towel. Had to throw the first one away because it stuck.
There’s no need to waste it just because it tore apart. You can repair it with the cream cheese filling. If too bad for that, just use those pieces for an opportunity to spread the filling on as a dip for you and family. It still tastes great! Don’t be so wasteful use it as an opportunity to be creative and put it into a mold mixed with filling.
I made these tonight. I did exactly as stated, baked, rolled and racked. It was cooling for about an hour, I made the whip, unrolled it, creamed filled, went to pry an edge off the parchment, stuck. It took a lot of patience, but I unstuck it and rolled, it looks like a mess as half the cake stuck to the parchment, there is way too much whip to roll tightly.
I shoved seran around it in hopes it cuts at least half decent.
Next time I will do with parchment, lard and flour as usual, shive a parchment on top and flip and roll that way.
Love this recipe. I tweaked it a bit. I omitted 1/4 of the cream cheese and powdered sugar and put in the same amount of marshmallow fluff. Makes it a bit gooeyer. Very yummy!
I made this today. Toothpick came out clean. Followed your directions to a t. When I unrolled it broke apart and was completely sticky.
I make this every year. It’s so easy and comes out great every time! I only use pumpkin puree from my garden. I also don’t add the cinnamon because I like the flavor with just the pumpkin pie spice.
Did mine crack? Yes. Was it because I nearly dropped it on the floor due to user and surprise attack from a cat error? Also yes.
Seriously this is the most moist pumpkin roll I have ever made! I even followed the pumpkin pie seasoning ratio, though I didn’t have allspice, and it came out better than I could have hoped for. I think if I made it again it would be perfect, though it will never turn out as immaculate as the picture, mine also flopped like a fish and got saggy. Still though, just takes practice. I
This is the best roll, the videos and pictures Step by step was a plus for me.
Thank you Lauren
I would like to know how to do a chocolate roll. Could you help me with this Please and Thank You
Thank you so much Teresa! I’ll pass on your request to Lauren! She does have a delicious Chocolate Peppermint roll here https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/chocolate-peppermint-cake-roll/
Great recipe
I made it as is, and it was great. Now, however, I’d like to substitute some of the ingredients to make it a bit healthier, since my husband and I are older and attempting to improve our health stats. Do you believe that substituting some or all of the flour for whole grain or almond would produce a roll without cracks? Also, would substituting low fat cream cheese for full fat work, do you think? Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Made this twice. Followed recipe to the letter and it split both times.
I used oat flour instead of regular flour, sugar free syrup instead of sugar, and low fat cream cheese and it turned out great! I used the same ratios
These are sooooo good!!! you have to try them!!!