This post contains affiliate links.
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
Don'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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
Follow Me
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.
This recipe is amazing, but omg!! If you are going to make it, put a clean towel under your roll as soon as it gets out of the oven to roll it. I burnt my hands 🥹. All worth it though because it tastes AMAZING
Wear heat proof gloves like for grilling, no burns
I use parchment paper to bake and roll it up in the same after lifting it out of the pan
Thats kinda common sense something that just came out of the oven would be hot lol
Burned?
In other countries, like Australia or UK, they use ‘burnt’
I had enough parchment paper on the edges that, once I began the roll, I could actually just roll the paper from the outside
I let it cool for ten minutes then rolled up
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! 🤗
Thank you! Absolutely the best pumpkin roll ever!! It’s easy to mix up and love your idea to use parchment paper rather than the messy towel used in many other recipes. I have a question…I seem to get wrinkles in my parchment paper & the roll tries to break/crack a little in those places. Any suggestions what I’m doing wrong with my parchment? Thank you.
Thanks Mary Beth! My only suggestion would be to pull on the outer sides of the parchment as you roll it to make sure they are flat. 🙂
I’m looking to try a new recipe. I’ve been making them for years. Cracking is my biggest problem. Not all of them crack, but I’d like to find a way for them all to look nice. Would wax paper work the same way? I don’t have parchment and not planning a trip to the market.
I’m not comfortable saying wax paper will work. I don’t know that it would.
Still no answer for the cracking
I’ve made this recipe hundreds of times and have never had a cracked pumpkin roll. Roll it up immediately out of the oven, allow it to cool completely before unrolling and frosting it.
I just used your recipe and made two. I rolled mine up in a tea towel that I sprinkled with powder sugar and they did not crack. I did, however, forget the butter in the cream cheese filling. 🙁 Do you think they will taste delicious? They look beautiful!
I absolutely think they will still taste great! Enjoy!
Did you try spraying the parchment paper?
Use a regular cookie sheet not a jelly roll pan as they are too big. That helped with cracking for me
Never made pumpkin roll before in my life, was always afraid it wouldn’t come out well. I came across this recipe and thought why not. This recipe is Awesome! And so easy. I will be sharing this one. Thank you for sharing this with us.
That makes me so happy and thanks for coming back to comment!
Tis the season for pumpkin everything and for me it’s this season a bit all year round (lol)
I just love pumpkin, and I have been using it a lot lately. I just came across your recipe through Pinterest and the photo caught my attention and made me think that I have some more pumpkin in the fridge therefore I definitely have to try this pumpkin roll! It simply looks delicious from start till finish.
Just curious…which size can of pumpkin? First time making a pumpkin roll and want to get it right ?
I usually use a 15 oz can, but it really doesn’t matter as long as you just measure out 2/3 cup (and you can refrigerate the leftover canned pumpkin to use in another recipe) 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
I made some and they stuck to the paper. Any suggestions. They also cracked. I baked them for 15 minutes.
Spray with cooking spray a tiny bit.
I make this pumpkin roll every year at thanksgiving an Christmas , so super easy to make an really delicious , goes really quick, so most of the time , I would make 2 an slice an place onto a platter, with garnish , powdered sugar , or pecans , or which ever u choose for your garnish.
I’ve made this and it’s AWESOME! Everyone just raved about how delicious it was, I also added chopped Walnuts to the batter when I had spread it in the pan. Yumm!
Delicious and so easy! I was searching for an easy pumpkin dessert recipe and came across this one. Fast and easy is a must (I’m a mom with a one year old). It was perfect for the Halloween party at work. So happy I tried it out. Now, I’m adding it to my favorites!
Thanks so much Jenny! It is the easiest holiday dessert!
was really good the flavor wasn’t popping as much as I’d like it to be but definitely good