Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Moist, tender cake with a smooth, creamy filling.
Taste: Spiced pumpkin and rich cream cheese are the perfect pairing.
Ease: This recipe requires a few steps but is totally doable! See the step-by-step instructions in this post for mode details.
Top Tips: Generously coat the towel with powdered sugar before rolling up the cake. Make sure the cake cools rolled up in a tea towel to get the perfect structure and prevent cracking!
Recommended GF Flour: For best results, use a high-quality flour blend that contains xanthan gum. King Arthur Flour is my top pick for this recipe.
Would I make these again? Definitely! It’s an understatement to say I love this recipe — it’s one my very favorite treats and perfect for when my family gathers on Thanksgiving!
xoxo erin
This post was originally published in November 2014. It was updated with new photos and instructions in October 2024.
Everyone always goes crazy for a pumpkin roll! It definitely has that wow factor that makes it perfect for holidays, parties, and other celebrations.
This gluten-free pumpkin roll has the perfect texture and balance of fall flavors, all while looking really impressive. It’s a showstopper that all will love — even those who don’t need gluten-free! Plus it earns bonus points for being easy to make dairy-free too!
Check out this full collection of gluten-free thanksgiving recipes!
Featured Comment
From Victoria: “This was my first every pumpkin roll that turned out looking like a pumpkin roll! And it’s gluten free!! The recipe was so simple that I had doubts it would turn out, but it is perfect. My kids absolutely love it. Thank you so much for such an easy and delicious recipe!”
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make the Perfect Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll
- Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instruction
- Can this gluten-free pumpkin roll be made dairy-free?
- Can this cake be made sugar-free or reduced sugar?
- Can I add pumpkin pie spice or other spices to this recipe?
- More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Desserts
- Perfect Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll (Dairy-Free Option) Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free pumpkin roll. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: I highly recommend using a high quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend that contains xanthan gum. King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour is my favorite for this recipe!
- Canned pumpkin: Make sure to use 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling! Besides creating the pumpkin flavor, the canned pumpkin also adds moisture, sweetness, and richness to the cake. This cake needs the right amount of moisture to make it easy to roll!
- Eggs/sugar: Two typical ingredients for a cake, but super important for one that gets rolled up! The eggs and sugar provide the right structure for the cake so that it bakes thin and moist.
- Cream cheese/powdered sugar: The cream cheese adds tangy flavor that balances the sweetness of the powdered sugar. Their combined creaminess makes the filling spreadable too. Use dairy-free cream cheese, like Kite Hill, to make it dairy-free!
- Butter: The butter creates a smooth consistency for the filling. Use vegan butter when making this dessert dairy-free.
How to Make the Perfect Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll
Here’s an overview of how to make this pumpkin roll. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
- In a medium bowl: Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- Make it smooth: Whisk the eggs and canned pumpkin into the dry mix until smooth.
- Pour in prepared pan: Pour the cake batter into the pan. I recommend using a 15×10 jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper and lightly greased. Make sure the parchment paper hangs over the short ends of the pan by at least an inch!
- Bake: With the oven on 350°F, bake the cake for 16-18 minutes. You want the edges to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center to be done.
- On a tea towel: The key is a thin towel without any texture — a tea towel works best! Spread a thick dusting of powdered sugar all over the towel and then turn the cake upside down onto it as soon as the cake comes out of the oven.
- Roll it up: Peel off the parchment paper. Start at the short end and roll the cake up with the tea towel.
- Let it cool: The cake needs to cool completely in the rolled up tea towel.
- Make the filling: I like to use a stand mixer, but a bowl with a hand mixer works too! Whip the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar together. You want to mix it until it’s light and creamy.
- Unroll and fill: Once the cake is cool, unroll it gently. Use an offset spatula to carefully spread the filling evenly all over the cake.
- Roll up and refrigerate: Roll the cake back up. This time without the tea towel. Wrap the roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving. Slice and enjoy!
Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instruction
To Make-Ahead: You can definitely make the icing a day or two ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It’s best to bake the cake the same day you assemble the roll.
To Store: Store the pumpkin roll wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. It will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
To Freeze: Wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic wrap then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, refrigerate overnight or let sit at room temperature for roughly 30 minutes before serving. You can also freeze slices of pumpkin roll by wrapping them individually before freezing.
Can this gluten-free pumpkin roll be made dairy-free?
Absolutely! Swap the cream cheese for a dairy-free version, like from Kite Hill. Use vegan butter in place of the regular butter. Enjoy!
Can this cake be made sugar-free or reduced sugar?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a great sugar-free option for this recipe. Sugar is key as it gives the cake its needed structure.
Can I add pumpkin pie spice or other spices to this recipe?
You can definitely spice up the cake with pumpkin pie spice, a little nutmeg, or a pinch of cloves. I like to keep it simple with cinnamon, but this cake adapts well to extra spice!
More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Desserts
Perfect Gluten-Free Pumpkin Roll (Dairy-Free Option)
Ingredients
For the Cake Roll:
- 3/4 cup (113g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup (151g) canned pumpkin
- powdered sugar for rolling
For the Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 15×10 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.
I’m about to make this and it will be my first roll ever, so I’m nervous. Anyway… I don’t have a 10×15 jelly roll pan. Mine are 11 x 16.75. Do you think this make a huge difference in how it turns out?
The size of pan really matters here unfortunately! The cake roll will be too thin and might break with a bigger pan.
I just made this It was so yummy. My sister tasted it and out of surprise kept asking “Is this really gluten-Free?”….. Thank you.
That’s the best when nobody can tell! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This looks amazing. I’m allergic to gluten, nuts, soy, corn and eggs. Any idea what I can substitute. Some ingredients have corn in them and I can’t use eggs.
You can instead use applesauce and it tastes exactly the same!
That’s great to know! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Can this recipe freeze well? I’m already making so much food for Christmas that if I can do some of it ahead of time, I’ll be way less stressed!
Absolutely delish! I used pumpkin pie spice & doubled the amount for flavor, tho !
Why roll only good up to 2 days in fridge? Just seems like it would last longer??…
I very well could! I worry the cake would start to get crumbly or fall apart after too long. But it might last longer than 2 days!
Wow, this was so delicious and quite easy to make! I baked it only for 14 minutes and instead of turning the pan over, I simply took the parchment and cake off of the pan, and rolled the cake (with the parchment still on) with the tea towel. It was so moist and the cream cheese frosting wasn’t overly sweet. It reminded me of eating my mom’s famous pumpkin bars so it felt so nostalgic. Great recipe!!
I’m glad it turned out for you and reminded you of your Mom’s recipe! 🙂
can you freeze this one? Thank you! Looks amazing going to give it a go this week
I haven’t tried freezing but unfortunately I don’t know how it would go! Sometimes gluten-free cakes don’t hold up as well to freezing. Let me know if you try it though!
I made this recipe with just a couple of changes. I beat the eggs and sugar together til thick, gently mixed in the pumpkin, then folded the combined dry ingredients into it. it baked up very nicely and rolled flawlessly. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1
These turned out so good! I made mine with Pamelas Baking Mix. They were delicious!
Delicious! But the next time I make it, I’m going to reduce the amount of sugar that I use. I’m trying to cut back on my sugar intake, and I think this recipe will be just as good with a bit less sugar. It was really, really good!!!
I used 1/2 the amount of sugar in the cake and 1/3 less in the filling and it was still DELICIOUS!
i only have an gluten free all purpose flour right now. it has the xanthan gum in it! i can go get 1-1 baking flour, but what’s the difference? does it matter that much?
If it has xanthan gum in it it will work just great!
Does it need a full cup of sugar in the cake part and frosting?
Yes this recipe needs the full amount of sugar in the cake part to have the right texture. You might be able to get away with slightly less in the frosting though.
I messed up the roll and it broke. I improvised and made it into a layer cake and it was one of the best GF cakes I’ve made, and with a celiac husband, I bake GF frequently. Have you tried any variations of this same cake recipe? Maybe strawberry purée instead of pumpkin? Trying to see how I could recreate the cake I made today with other flavors.
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner and is was so flavorful and rich. It was a hit
I made mine vegan by using Earth Balance buttery spread and replacing egg with applesauce and about a tbsp of Neat Egg egg replacer.
I also added nutmeg and clove in with the cinnamon and stiffened up the filling a tiny bit with about 1/2 cup more powdered sugar with the vegan cream cheese.
I used GoVeggie brand cream cheese and it was very soft.
I didn’t find I needed to melt the butter first either.