My vegan pumpkin roll is the ultimate fall dessert! A tender, perfectly spiced pumpkin sponge cake is rolled up with luscious dairy-free cream cheese filling. It’s cozy, delicious, and guaranteed to wow guests at your fall celebrations.
How excited are we about fall?! Personally, once mid-August hits, I can hardly contain myself. I start looking for those early signs — red leaves, fallen acorns, and pumpkin rolls at the grocery store. Fun fact: pumpkin rolls are one of the very first indicators of cooler temperatures on the way. So I’m always thrilled to spot them… even if I can’t eat them. Well, I decided I did want to enjoy one, so I set out to create my own vegan pumpkin roll recipe!
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I’ll be honest: this recipe was a challenge. I may have set a personal record for the number of test runs (I’ve actually been working on it since last August), but it was worth every bit of effort. The result is absolutely DELICIOUS — and just look at those gorgeous spirals!
If you’re a fan of my other vegan pumpkin desserts, you’re going to flip for this one. It’s got the best of all worlds: the cozy flavor of my vegan pumpkin pie, the creamy richness of my vegan pumpkin cheesecake, and the tender cake texture of my vegan pumpkin cake and vegan pumpkin cupcakes — only even more moist.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below you’ll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
Flour. I’ve only made this recipe with all-purpose flour, and since this is a particularly finicky cake, I don’t recommend using anything else.
Sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
Brown sugar. Same deal — use organic.
Baking powder.
Baking soda.
Pumpkin pie spice. You might also call this, simply, pumpkin spice.
Cinnamon.
Salt.
Pumpkin puree. Make sure you’re using canned pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling, which contains a bunch of extra ingredients we don’t want.
Non-dairy milk. You can use any variety of non-dairy milk that you normally drink, as long as it’s unflavored and unsweetened. Read my guide to dairy-free milk if you need help choosing.
Vanilla extract.
Apple cider vinegar. Try one of my apple cider vinegar substitutes for baking if you don’t have this on hand.
Powdered sugar. This also needs to be organic.
Vegan cream cheese. There’s a LOT of variation in texture among vegan cream cheese brands. Stick with a firmer one, if possible. Tofutti and Trader Joe’s worked well for me. Kite Hill, not so much. See my tips below if all you can get is a softer variety.
Vegan butter. Most brands of this should work just fine. You can find it in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, usually near the regular butter.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Get ready. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Prepare your sheet pan. Grease it well, then line the bottom and sides with parchment. Then grease the parchment. The cake must be able to pop right out of the pan as soon as it’s done baking.
Step 3: Combine dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
Step 4: Combine the wet ingredients. Stir your pumpkin puree, milk, vanilla, and cider vinegar together.
Step 5: Mix the batter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, then whisk everything together.
Steps 6 & 7: Pour & bake. Transfer the batter to your prepared sheet pan, then smooth out the top. A bench scraper or the flat end of a spatula works great for this! Bake the cake until the top just feels set.
Steps 8 & 9: Unmold and roll. Heavily sprinkle a kitchen towel or sheet of cheesecloth with powdered sugar while the cake bakes. Immediately invert the cake onto the towel when it comes out of the oven, then carefully roll it in the towel.
Tip: Don’t hesitate! This is the key to successfully removing your cake from the pan. I hesitated with just one batch, and ended up with cake on the floor. And yes, I was tempted to eat that cake right off the floor, Rachel and Chandler style.
Step 10: Make the filling. Use an electric mixer at high speed to first cream the butter and cream cheese together, then add the vanilla and powdered sugar.
Steps 11-13: Fill and roll. Very carefully unroll the cake, then spread the filling over it. Gently reroll. These are the tricky steps, so see my tips for success below!
Step 14: Chill. Gently wrap the cake in plastic wrap, then stick it in the fridge. Let it chill for at least two hours for the filling to set.
Step 15. Slice and serve. Be super gentle when unwrapping your vegan pumpkin roll. Give it a sprinkle with powdered sugar, then slice and enjoy!
Tips for Success
Full disclosure: vegan pumpkin roll is a challenging recipe. Be patient, give it a test run, and follow these tips:
Use plenty of powdered sugar. This is the key to preventing your cake from sticking to the cloth, so don’t be shy with it. I often use a cup or more.
Cheesecloth works best. I tried a few different fabrics for rolling my cake, as well as parchment paper (big mistake!). Cheesecloth works best for preventing sticking. A thin, woven (non-terrycloth) tea towel came in second.
Don’t roll too tightly. Rolling too tight will make unrolling difficult. You can even add an extra thick towel to create a gap between layers.
Cream cheese brands. Vegan cream cheeses vary a lot in texture. Tofutti and Trader Joe’s are the most reliable — both are nice and firm. Kite Hill is too soft, and Violife feels firm in the package but turned sloppy once mixed. You can also use a store-bought vegan cream cheese frosting, like Miss Jones brand., if you prefer a shortcut.
Loose filling. If your filling turns out runny, you can save it by beating in more powdered sugar, but be prepared to use a lot (sometimes 4 cups or more). It will usually get softer before it firms up, since the sugar draws moisture from the cream cheese, but with enough added it will eventually thicken.
Cracks are sometimes unavoidable. I reworked this recipe many, many times to minimize the chances of them happening, but we’re working with a thin, delicate vegan sponge cake, and sometimes they happen. You can reduce the chances of them forming by rolling and unrolling slowly and gently. If a crack does form, gently try to work the edges back together as you roll.
Variations
Chocolate pumpkin roll. Fill your vegan pumpkin roll with my vegan chocolate frosting instead of cream cheese filling. You can also dust it with cocoa or drizzle it with some melted chocolate or vegan ganache.
Chai spiced pumpkin roll. Instead of the combination of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon in the recipe, use 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon of cloves, and a pinch of black pepper.
Frosted pumpkin roll. Slather the outside of your pumpkin roll with a layer of my vegan cream cheese frosting of vegan buttercream frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s already very tricky using wheat flour. Gluten-free would make it even more delicate.
It will keep in an airtight container or tightly sealed in plastic for about four days in the fridge, or three months in the freezer.
Your cake will be more pliable when it’s hot, so it’s easier to roll without cracking. Then letting it cool while rolled trains it to retain the spiral shape.
I don’t recommend it. Parchment paper will trap too much moisture, and your cake will turn out soggy.
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
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Vegan Pumpkin Roll
My vegan pumpkin roll is the ultimate fall dessert! A tender, perfectly spiced pumpkin sponge cake is rolled up with luscious dairy-free cream cheese filling. It’s cozy, delicious, and guaranteed to wow guests at your fall celebrations.
Ingredients
For the Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour⅔ cup organic granulated sugar⅔ cup organic brown sugar1 teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice1 teaspoon ground cinnamon¼ teaspoon salt⅔ cup canned pumpkin puree⅓ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk1 teaspoon vanilla extract½ teaspoon apple cider vinegarOrganic powdered sugar, for dusting
For the Filling
1 (8 ounce/28 gram) package vegan cream cheese (Important: see Note 1 for recommended brands) chilled6 tablespoons vegan butter, room temperature1 cups organic powdered sugar, plus more as needed1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Serving
Organic powdered sugar, for dusting.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease the bottom and sides of a 10 x 15-inch sheet pan (Note 2). Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
Stir the pumpkin puree, milk, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar together in a small bowl or container.
Add the pumpkin mixture to the bowl containing the flour mixture. Whisk or stir just until the batter is fully mixed.
Transfer the batter to the prepared sheet pan, smoothing out the top as evenly as possible (Note 3).
Bake the cake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the top feels set.
While the cake bakes, arrange a woven kitchen towel or a large sheet of cheesecloth on the counter. Dust the top with a heavy coating of powdered sugar — use at least ½ cup.
When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately invert it onto the prepared cloth. Roll the cake up in the towel, starting from one of the shorter ends. Don’t roll it too tightly, or it will be difficult to unroll later on. Carefully place the rolled cake onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely, at least 2 to 3 hours.
Once the cake is cool, make the filling. Beat the cream cheese and butter together using an electric mixer on high speed, until fully blended. Begin beating in the powdered sugar, adding it in 2 or 3 increments. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, beat in the vanilla (Note 4).
Very carefully unroll the cake, doing your best to avoid cracking it. If it gets challenging, you can leave the very end slightly rolled, just opening it up enough to stuff some filling in there.
Spread the filling in an even layer over the cake, leaving about an inch border at the short ends, ½ inch at the long ends.
Carefully roll the cake back up.
Wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic wrap, then chill it in the fridge for at least two hours.
Unwrap the pumpkin roll and dust it with powdered sugar. Slice and serve.
Notes
Make sure you’re using a sheet pan, which should have a substantial lip. Do not use a cookie sheet without a lip or with a tiny lip. You’re going to need something to retain the batter.
Try smoothing out the top with a bench scraper or flat spatula.
If your filling seems runny, which is more likely if you’re not using one of the recommended cream cheese brands, don’t panic. You can usually save it by adding more powdered sugar until it firms up. It may loosen at first (the sugar draws out moisture), but with enough added it will eventually thicken. And if all else fails, freeze the roll. The slices thaw quickly and the filling holds together much better.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice (1/10 of recipe) | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 2864IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg
