This classic gluten free pumpkin roll is full of pumpkin flavor, with a sweet cream cheese filling and plenty of warm spices. Perfect for your holiday table and just to make any day feel special. Learn how to make it without any cracks!
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Why I love this gluten free pumpkin roll recipe
- Tons of flavor: Pumpkin puree doesn't really taste like pumpkin, but pumpkin pie spice definitely does and we use 4 teaspoons of it in this flavorful cake.
- So tender: The crumb of this cake is the super moist kind that you pick up with the tines of your fork. So moist, even before you add the filling.
- Beautiful presentation: Even though it's a simple no-butter cake with a classic cream cheese frosting/filling, this rolled cake has a creamy white filling against a dark orange-colored cake in a gorgeous swirl. So impressive on your table!
- Stays fresh for days: If you're making a pumpkin roll, it's probably for a gathering. You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time and it will stay perfectly fresh in the refrigerator.
Ingredients you need & substitution suggestions
- Gluten free flour blend: Be sure use one of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends, like Better Batter's original blend, Cup4Cup, or Nicole's Best, plus xanthan gum.
- Baking powder/baking soda: For rise and even browning in the oven.
- Salt: Balances sweetness and brightens the other flavors.
- Pumpkin spice: A blend of warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg that taste and smell like you want pumpkin to. If you don't have this blend or the component spices, you can use apple pie spice, or just mostly cinnamon and nutmeg, if you have it.
- Granulated sugar: For a sweet, tender pumpkin roll.
- Eggs: I almost always bake with large eggs, which each weigh 50 grams without the shell, but I find that in this cake roll, extra large eggs weighing 60 grams each make for a slightly fluffier cake that is less likely to crack during rolling. If you're egg-free, you can try 3 “chia eggs” (3 tablespoons ground white chia seeds + 3 tablespoons lukewarm water, mixed), but I'm honestly not sure if it would work here.
- Pumpkin puree: Canned pumpkin puree is perfect here. Roasted sweet potato puree would probably also work, as would roasted and pureed butternut squash.
- Powdered sugar: It helps keep the cake from sticking to the tea towel when you roll up the cake; we also use it to make the sweet filling. Confectioners' sugar, with added starch, works equally as well.
- Cream cheese: Make sure you're using full fat block-style cream cheese here, or the filling will be too soft. If you're dairy-free, try Tofutti's Better-Than-Cream-Cheese or Miyoko's Creamery vegan cream cheese.
- Butter: Adds flavor, some stability, and texture to the filling. If you're dairy-free, try Miyoko's Creamy vegan butter or even Earth Balance buttery sticks.
How to make a gluten free pumpkin roll
Make the pumpkin roll batter & bake
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate small bowl; beat the eggs, pumpkin and granulated sugar until smooth and foamy; add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk to combine. Spread the batter into an even layer in a well-prepared jelly roll pan and bake at 375ยฐF.
Shape the hot cake & cool
While the cake is baking, sprinkle powdered sugar on a tea towel; turn the hot cake over onto the towel and peel back the pan liner. Sprinkle the cake with more sugar, and roll it up carefully in the towel. Let the cake cool, rolled and not filled, for 1 hour.
Make the filling & fill the cake
While the cake is cooling, beat butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar into a smooth filling. Unroll the cooled cake, spread out the filling, reroll the cake, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour. Slice the chilled cake and serve.
Recipe tips & tricks
Use extra-large eggs
I have made this cake using 3 large eggs (50 grams each, weighed out of the shells) and using 3 extra large eggs (60 grams each), and I really like the cake a lot better with the extra large eggs. It makes a fluffier cake that bakes really evenly. If you only have large eggs, you can use them as is, or beat a 4th large egg and measure out 180 grams of eggs total.
Roll the cake while it's hot
We use the classic method of rolling the unfilled cake right out of the oven by turning it over on top of a tea towel dusted with powdered sugar, dusting the cake with sugar, and rolling it in the towel. Let it cool rolled up in a towel for 1 hour, then fill, reroll and chill. It will actually really set when you chill it in the refrigerator.
Line the pan properly
No matter how nonstick your jelly roll pan really is, you still need to grease the pan, line it, grease it again, then tap around some extra gluten free flour. When you take the cake out of the oven, you have to work quickly to turn it over onto the tea towel. If the cake doesn't come out of the pan easily, you're in trouble!
Spread the filling thinner at the far edge
The filling is softer than a regular cream cheese frosting, which matches the tender cake perfectly but does tend to get squeezed forward as you roll the cake. So spread the filling thicker toward the near edge that you begin rolling first, and thinner at the far edge.
Storage instructions
This cake has to chill for at least 1 hour after filling so it sets before you slice it and serve it. It will actually stay fresh, wrapped tightly and unsliced, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The filling helps keep the cake moist and tender.
Freezing for longer storage
I haven't frozen the cake whole, but I think it would work well. Just wrap it very tightly in freezer-safe wrap (Glad Press ‘n' Seal is my favorite wrap), and defrost in the refrigerator just until it's soft enough to slice but not completely defrosted. I have frozen individual slices, wrapped tightly, and it works great. Defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! It's an imperfect method of making a rolled cake since it makes a mess when you turn out the hot cake onto a tea towel with powdered sugar and the cake is a bit fragile while hot. But I tried the “Stella Parks jelly roll method” of just letting the cake cool under aluminum foil before filling and rolling it, and it cracked badly every single time.
Yes! The cake itself doesn't have any butter or other dairy, so it's naturally dairy-free. The filling has butter and cream cheese, but it should work well with your favorite dairy-free alternatives. I like Miyoko's Creamy vegan butter and Tofutti Better-Than-Cream-Cheese for frosting and filling.
I haven't tried this cake without eggs, and it has 3 eggs, which is a lot of eggs to replace. The eggs do a lot of work in keeping this cake firm enough to roll, unroll, and reroll, but you might be able to make it with 3 “chia eggs” (3 tablespoons ground white chia seeds + 3 tablespoons lukewarm water). If you try, please share your results!
If you underbake the cake by a couple minutes, it may be kind of tacky to the touch, causing it to stick to your fingers when you touch it. Just try dusting it with more powdered sugar before you touch the cake so it doesn't stick and next time bake it another few minutes.
If your cake was overbaked, or you didn't roll it when it was hot out of the oven, it may crack when you roll it. If you let it cool too long after the first roll before you unroll, fill, and reroll it, it may crack. But don't worry too much about cracks. Just use the filling to hold it together, and dust it liberally with powdered sugar.
No, this cake recipe can only be made as a thin, single layer sheet cake. You can choose not to roll it, but you can't bake it as muffins. You can instead make our recipe for gluten free pumpkin muffins for the perfect muffin companion to this cake, though!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll
Equipment
- 10-inch x 15-inch x 1 inch jelly roll pan
- Tea towel for rolling the cake
- Stand mixer or handheld mixer for the filling
Ingredients
For the cake roll
- ยพ cup (105 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full info on appropriate blends) plus more for sprinkling
- ยพ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ยฝ teaspoon baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ยผ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 3 (180 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
- โ cup (163 g) pure canned pumpkin puree at room temperature
- ยผ cup (29 g) powdered sugar for sprinkling, plus more for the top of the cake
For the filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese block (full fat) at room temperature
- 2 cups (230 g) powdered sugar sifted, plus more as needed
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
Instructions
Make the cake roll
- Preheat your oven to 375ยฐF.
- Grease a 10-inch x 15-inch jelly roll pan. Line it with wax or parchment paper, then grease again. Sprinkle some extra flour on the greased paper, tap it around to evenly distribute it, and discard any excess. Set the pan aside.
- In a medium-size bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, and whisk to combine. Set the bowl of dry ingredients aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the granulated sugar, eggs, and pumpkin, and whisk until well-blended and a bit foamy. You can use an electric mixer here to beat the mixture well, but it's not necessary.
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the large bowl of wet ingredients, and whisk until well-combined. The batter should be smooth and soft.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and use an offset spatula or silicone spatula to spread it into an even layer. Smack on the counter to break any trapped bubbles.
- Lay the tea towel out on a flat surface and sprinkle the separate 1/4 cup powdered sugar evenly across it.
- Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.
- As soon as the cake is done baking, turn it over immediately onto the prepared towel, matching the shape of the cake to the shape of the towel. There's no real way to do this without making a bit of a mess since the cake will scatter some of the powdered sugar when it falls out of the pan onto the towel.
- Carefully peel back and discard the paper that lined the pan, and is now lining the cake.
- Sprinkle the exposed top of the cake (which was the underside during baking) with more powdered sugar to prevent the towel from sticking to it as you roll the cake.
- Fold a short edge of the towel over the edge of the cake, and, starting with the short end, roll the cake and towel together into a spiral.
- Transfer the rolled cake and towel onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour, or until it's set but not cold. If you let the cake cool until it's actually cold to the touch, it is more likely to crack as you unroll and reroll it with filling.
Make the filling.
- While the cake is wrapped and cooling, make the filling. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a medium-size bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, butter, and optional vanilla extract and cinnamon on high speed until smooth.
- For a thicker, stiffer filling that is less likely to squeeze out of the cake roll, beat in about 1/2 cup more sifted powdered sugar.
Fill the cake.
- Once the cake is cool, carefully unroll it. Remove the towel, and spread the filling in a mostly even layer over cake, leaving a 1 1/2 inch clean border all around.
- Spread the filling less thickly at the far end, the one that will be rolled last, since the filling will push toward the end a bit as you roll it. Carefully reroll the cake enclosing the filling inside.
Chill the cake before serving.
- Transfer the rolled and filled cake to a piece of plastic wrap, wrap it tightly, and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator, unwrap, and slice thickly by cross-section into about 10 equal pieces.
- Dust lightly with some more powdered sugar before serving.
Nutrition
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll
Equipment
- 10-inch x 15-inch x 1 inch jelly roll pan
- Tea towel for rolling the cake
- Stand mixer or handheld mixer for the filling
Ingredients
For the cake roll
- ยพ cup (105 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full info on appropriate blends) plus more for sprinkling
- ยพ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ยฝ teaspoon baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ยผ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 3 (180 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
- โ cup (163 g) pure canned pumpkin puree at room temperature
- ยผ cup (29 g) powdered sugar for sprinkling, plus more for the top of the cake
For the filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese block (full fat) at room temperature
- 2 cups (230 g) powdered sugar sifted, plus more as needed
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
Instructions
Make the cake roll
- Preheat your oven to 375ยฐF.
- Grease a 10-inch x 15-inch jelly roll pan. Line it with wax or parchment paper, then grease again. Sprinkle some extra flour on the greased paper, tap it around to evenly distribute it, and discard any excess. Set the pan aside.
- In a medium-size bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, and whisk to combine. Set the bowl of dry ingredients aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the granulated sugar, eggs, and pumpkin, and whisk until well-blended and a bit foamy. You can use an electric mixer here to beat the mixture well, but it's not necessary.
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the large bowl of wet ingredients, and whisk until well-combined. The batter should be smooth and soft.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and use an offset spatula or silicone spatula to spread it into an even layer. Smack on the counter to break any trapped bubbles.
- Lay the tea towel out on a flat surface and sprinkle the separate 1/4 cup powdered sugar evenly across it.
- Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.
- As soon as the cake is done baking, turn it over immediately onto the prepared towel, matching the shape of the cake to the shape of the towel. There's no real way to do this without making a bit of a mess since the cake will scatter some of the powdered sugar when it falls out of the pan onto the towel.
- Carefully peel back and discard the paper that lined the pan, and is now lining the cake.
- Sprinkle the exposed top of the cake (which was the underside during baking) with more powdered sugar to prevent the towel from sticking to it as you roll the cake.
- Fold a short edge of the towel over the edge of the cake, and, starting with the short end, roll the cake and towel together into a spiral.
- Transfer the rolled cake and towel onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour, or until it's set but not cold. If you let the cake cool until it's actually cold to the touch, it is more likely to crack as you unroll and reroll it with filling.
Make the filling.
- While the cake is wrapped and cooling, make the filling. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a medium-size bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, butter, and optional vanilla extract and cinnamon on high speed until smooth.
- For a thicker, stiffer filling that is less likely to squeeze out of the cake roll, beat in about 1/2 cup more sifted powdered sugar.
Fill the cake.
- Once the cake is cool, carefully unroll it. Remove the towel, and spread the filling in a mostly even layer over cake, leaving a 1 1/2 inch clean border all around.
- Spread the filling less thickly at the far end, the one that will be rolled last, since the filling will push toward the end a bit as you roll it. Carefully reroll the cake enclosing the filling inside.
Chill the cake before serving.
- Transfer the rolled and filled cake to a piece of plastic wrap, wrap it tightly, and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator, unwrap, and slice thickly by cross-section into about 10 equal pieces.
- Dust lightly with some more powdered sugar before serving.
Nutrition
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, Iโm Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that arenโt good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, โgood, for gluten freeโ just isnโt good enough! Come visit my bio!
Karen Langley says
Can’t wait to try this! Have to get my baking shirt on :) Now to find a pecan pie recipe.
Nicole says
You have a baking shirt, Karen? I hope it’s not like a hair shirt. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Rochelle says
Thank you so much for this recipe!! My kids were bummed out that I wasn’t making a pumpkin roll this year since I couldn’t eat it…it’s my fav! But this recipe is almost identical to mine, so I’m going to surprise them!
Nicole says
The art of the possible, Rochelle. :) Enjoy…
xoxo Nicole
lynn @ the actor's diet says
truly gorgeous! i want to lie on it like a pillow.
Nicole says
That’s a good one, Lynn. I could use a nap. Bet you could, too. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Terria Lee Burton on Facebook says
I can’t wait to make this!
Linda Fisher on Facebook says
i send this to my husband to make, he was going to make a pumpkin loaf but this is way awesomer
Tracey Gonneau on Facebook says
Love the step by step photos, then I know exactly where I stand with the recipe. I’m adding this to my Xmas dinner menu, (Thanksgiving has come and gone in Canada), may do ‘dry run’ this weekend.
Peggy says
Drooling! The great thing is that I have so many choices for all of this year’s holidays. I’ll also be planning & prepping for Christmas & New Years using a lot of these wonderful pumpkin recipes!!! Thanks much, Nicole. Do you feel the love? I feel the love! It’s time for a cup of coffee & a taste of one of the delightful treats!
Nicole says
Of course I feel the love, Peggy! It is all about choices, isn’t it. Everyone else has choices – why shouldn’t we?
xoxo Nicole
Jennica says
My daughter will thank you for this! My Mom also sprinkled nuts on hers, and it is amazing! we always used walnuts because someone we knew had an orchard, and as kids it was our job to crack the dumb things. Never in my life have I bled as much as I did then!
chris says
My mom brought me a bunch of pecans from Georgia so I think I will use those!
Nicole says
Oh my goodness, Jennica! Talk about taking one for the team… That sounds really, really painful. But probably kind of worth it. Freshly cracked nuts can’t be beat!
xoxo Nicole
chris says
My mother-in-law (famous for her pumpkin roll) always sprinkles chopped nuts on the top of her cake before she bakes it. I looked over my recipe and the only difference is that you use 4t pie spice and mine calls for only 1t…will have to remedy that! Oh, and you add cinnamon to the filling which I will be trying! I hope everybody tries this, it is truly wonderful and a lot less intimidating with Nicole’s wonderful how-to pictures. Happy Thanksgiving to all :)
Nicole says
Hi, Chris,
My kids are so annoying with nuts. They’re all over nut butters, but chopped nuts get their panties all in a bunch. It’s ridiculous. Sounds like your roll is going to be the bee’s knees.
xoxo Nicole
chris says
Mine don’t do nuts either, but this is my husband’s absolute fav thing to have at the holidays…he gets grumpy if nobody makes one. I was contemplating making two so maybe I’ll do one with nuts and one without. What do you think about doubling the recipe? Or should I just play it safe and mix twice?
Nicole says
I think you can safely double this recipe, Chris, without a problem at all.
Good move, making one with nuts and one without. Maybe stagger them in the oven, so you’re not tasked with rolling two cakes right out of the oven at exactly the same time, though. Unless your husband is willing to be another pair of hands. :)
xoxo Nicole
Pamela G says
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm…pumpkin….love you!!!
Kadren says
Yes, I will be making this just as soon as I get cream cheese!!!!!!! Words can’t express how thankful I am for this recipe!!!!
Nicole says
You bet, Kadren. Pleasure. :)
xoxo Nicole
Lisa says
Just when I had the menu all planned and the shopping all finished….. this looks amazing!
Nicole says
I know, right? Monkey wrench. Sorry about that, Lisa. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Amanda Renee Stahl on Facebook says
Omg anything gluten free pumpkin breadish sounds amazing.
Michelle Dunton Olejar on Facebook says
I SOOOO want to make this :)
Amanda Hockham on Facebook says
Peter Piper, who picked up a pumpkin and the local produce store, and his papa are going to make this here pumpkin roll. It’ll be perfect for our party. Probably. Possibly I shall put it on a plate for Peter Piper’s Papa’s Mama, Petunia. :-)
But truthfully, I’m making this with or without the help of Peter Piper, Papa or Petunia and it WILL be perfect.
Thanks for posting the recipe, Nicole!
Susan Linn Plocher on Facebook says
Em (my eldest daughter) and I are going to try it! We’ll let you know. The last time I made a “roll” of anything I was mocked, but I like it so who cares what anyone else thinks, right? I have no doubt this time there will be shock and awe. BTW, we made your Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cake from your cookbook – outstanding. Em wrote me a note on my microwave that said “make more pumpkin cake please.” Just thought you’d like to know! :-)