Perfect Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll! Moist spiced cake with a cream cheese filling. Easily made dairy-free!
UPDATE 10/2017: This pumpkin roll turns out great using a store-bought gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum (a measure-for-measure flour). I have been using this one from King Arthur Flour lately. It also works wonderfully using Erin’s Gluten-Free Flour Blend.
A pumpkin roll has long been one of my very favorite holiday treats! Something about the moist, spiced cake wrapped around velvety cream cheese frosting is totally irresistible. If you love this dessert you’ll also love these gluten-free pumpkin bars and gluten-free pumpkin muffins. You also might like this gluten-free pumpkin bread and gluten-free pumpkin cake.
Everyone always goes crazy for a pumpkin roll! They definitely have that wow factor when it comes to a special dessert. Despite looking fancy, this pumpkin roll isn’t at all hard to make.
I thought making a gluten-free pumpkin roll would be difficult given the reputation most gluten-free baked goods have.
Since some gluten-free baked goods tend to crumble easily, the feat of wrapping into a concentric ring while remaining intact seemed impossible! Then I remembered most pumpkin roll recipes on rely on a small amount of flour to begin with.
Check out this full collection of gluten-free thanksgiving recipes!
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I can’t wait to make this pumpkin roll for Thanksgiving when my family comes in town! It is a dessert both gluten-free and gluten-eaters alike will love.
You can also see the notes in the recipe on how to make the filling dairy-free. I’ve made it with dairy-free cream cheese with excellent results.
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Perfect Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll (Dairy-Free Option)
Ingredients
For the Cake Roll:
- 3/4 cup gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour a blend that contains xanthan gum
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
- powdered sugar for rolling
For the Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (see note for dairy-free)
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 15 X 10-inch jelly roll pan. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and leave an inch overhang on each of the short ends of the pan. Lightly grease the parchment paper and sides of the jelly roll pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. Add the eggs and canned pumpkin and whisk until smooth.
- Once mixed, pour the mixture over the parchment paper. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and center is done.
- Lay a large tea towel on the counter top (it is best to use a thin towel without any texture a tea towel or similar towel works best). Starting at one of the short ends, spread a thick dusting of powdered sugar all over the towel.
- When the cake comes out of the oven, turn the pan upside down on the powdered sugar-laden towel so the parchment paper is on the top. It is best to turn it out right on the short edge of the towel. Peel off the parchment paper. Starting at the short end near the edge, roll the pumpkin cake up with the towel to cool.
- While the roll is cooling, make the filling. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar together until it is light and creamy. Once the roll is cool, unroll and with an offset spatula, carefully spread the filling in an even layer over the cake. Roll it up without the towel and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving. The roll will be good in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from this recipe
Can you please let me know why this is cracking every time I roll it after I put the cream cheese in it?
I cannot tell you how good this is! It was a hit with the entire family. I am making two of them now. One for Christmas Eve with the family and one for us on Christmas Day.
So easy to make too.
Thank you for this! Two bites in and my 13-yr-old said this was the best dessert of his life-nice to hear from a kiddo who misses “the good ol’ days” before celiac disease.
Yum! I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious! I let the batter sit for 30 minutes before baking. It was really, really good!
Everyone loved this
Do you know if I need to make adjustments for using fresh cooked, puréed pumpkin? Or just try to get as much moisture out of the pumpkin as possible?
I made this once before, and it was ahh-mazing! Quick question…would I be able to freeze this for a week or so? I’ve got to make my desserts ahead of the holiday this year, and I’m really hoping to include this. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Hi Erin. I really enjoyed how quickly this cake went together…..
The filling also!! We really enjoyed it. Thanks so much! It’s Diane from the villa. I can’t wait to try your rolls. They look great also.
So great to hear from you! I’m glad the recipe turned out for you!
I use Better Batter gluten free flour blend. I was using Bobs Red Mill but it had a grainy feel. I LOVE pumpkin cake/bread anything pumpkin!! This was my first try at a jelly roll!! Thank you for sharing this recipe and knowledge!! I also found out that Better Batter has powdered sugar without any cornstarch in it!! It really tastes a lot better!! I never knew it had cornstarch until I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease I heard so many people needed even harder to find food items due to allergies! Thank you again for an awesome recipe!!
Thank you for a wonderful alternative to a fall favorite! I cut the sugar in half, used “flax eggs” and whipped coconut cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to make a very satisfying healthy alternative. (I did have to double the recipe to fit my jelly roll pan since the original didn’t begin to fill the pan)
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?
This looks so good! Do you use this cake base for any other recipes?
I made this for a Thanksgiving dinner and it is incredible! I’m used to lower-sugar desserts, so I cut the sugar in half for both the cake and the filling. It was plenty sweet for me. Great flavor. This is something I crave year-round, but haven’t found a good alternative until now. Thank you! I’m making it again tomorrow for a holiday party. I’m sure it will be a big hit.
So great to hear! Glad it satisfied your craving 🙂
This is absolutely delicious!! I used King Arthur’s GF measure for measure blend (with xanthum gum) and part of the cake broke as I was flipping it onto the towel. I covered the towel in A TON of powdered sugar. I rolled up the remains just fine, but when I unrolled it, it split in about five or six places from end-to-end. I was really careful not to overcook the cake since I knew it would crack. I’m wondering if I undercooked it, which led to it cracking. We definitely enjoyed eating the resulting mound of yummy pumpkin cake 🙂 Any tips or pointers? Thank you!
I’m glad it tasted good – but sorry it cracked! I would actually err on the side of overcooking rather than undercooking this cake. Gluten-free baked goods can be gummy and unstable if they are slightly undercooked. So I would try baking the cake an extra 2-3 minutes next time – I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi,
I was thinking about trying your recipe out for Thanksgiving. I was wondering if you are not using a flour that contains xanthan gum already, how much would you add?
This won’t work with a flour without xanthan gum. It will fall apart. Sorry about that!