Name: The Best Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 209 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup flour; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon; 1 ¼ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice; 1 cup sugar; 3 eggs (room temp); 1 teaspoon vanilla; ⅔ cup pumpkin puree; 8 ounce cream cheese (softened); 6 tablespoons butter (softened); 1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 tablespoon milk

How to Make The Best Pumpkin Roll

Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.

Then, using your 10×15 inch jelly roll pan, spray the bottom with nonstick cooking spray.

Next place a piece of parchment paper over top, long enough so you have a few extra inches to hang over the edge on each side and then spray the top of it with more nonstick spray (each side should have nonstick spray).

Now in a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and the pumpkin pie spice and then set it aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar and eggs (try to have them at room temperature) with a hand mixer until the mixture is creamy. This will take about 2 minutes or so.

Once that is done, add in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree, mixing it all together until completely incorporated.

After the wet mixture is combined, add in the flour mixture and hand mix with a wooden spoon until everything is just combined. Do not over mix to keep a good texture to the sponge cake.

Now that the cake batter is done, pour it into the prepared jelly roll pan making sure to spread the batter evenly throughout the pan.

After that is done, carefully place the pan in the preheated oven and bake it for about 13-14 minutes or until the cake is set. The cake should spring back when you touch it with your finger.

When the cake is done, quickly remove the cake from the pan by lifting up the overhanging parchment paper on the shorter ends.

Place the cake on the counter and take one end and begin to roll the cake WITH THE PARCHMENT ON creating a snug (but not super tight) roll.

After it is all rolled, place the cake seam side down on the counter or wire rack and let it finish cooling down. (Could take a few hours.)

Once the cake is done cooling down, make up the cream cheese filling by mixing together the cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a large mixing bowl until it becomes creamy.

Now, unroll the cake CAREFULLY and then spread the filling on top of the cake. But, make sure to leave about a ½ inch border on all sides of the cake without filling.

After that is done carefully roll the cake back up, but this time peel the parchment paper away as you roll making sure not to leave any parchment that could get rolled up in the cake.

Next, cover the pumpkin roll and let it chill for about an hour.

When you are ready to serve it, sprinkle some powdered sugar over top and slice it into 1 inch thick pieces and then enjoy! This can also be covered and frozen for later as well! That is if you can ward off the temptation to eat it. 😉

A rolled cake with parchment paper wrapped around it sits on a wire cooling rack against a tiled white background.

Overhead view of baking ingredients: a bowl of powdered sugar, a glass of liquid, a capful of vanilla extract, four sticks of butter, and an opened foil-wrapped butter package on a white surface.

A rectangular piece of cake on parchment paper, topped with a thick layer of white frosting, placed on a white surface.

A partially frosted rectangular cake on parchment paper against a white background is seen from the top.

Storage and Freezing Tips

Prepared pumpkin rolls can be stored, covered, and in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap the pumpkin roll tightly first in a layer of plastic wrap and then in a layer of foil. Store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. When you’re ready to serve, remove the frozen pumpkin roll to room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Explore More Delicious Pumpkin Cake Recipes

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Questions & Reviews

Kathy Dolny says:

I've ALWAYS been intimidated to try any of the "roll" recipes. My kids were always doing a fundraiser around this time of year and so I took the easy way out and bought them. My husband LOVED this recipe! It was super easy and your instructions were well written. I did jump the gun on adding all the dry ingredients together instead of creaming the sugar and eggs. I'm not sure if that affected the sponge texture, but it rolled like a charm. Thank you for a new addition to some of our fall favorites.
Momma Cyd says:

Hi Kathy. We are so glad you liked the Pumpkin Roll. We have a friend that is so good at roll recipes and we thought it was intimidating too. Not anymore! This Pumpkin roll is so easy!
Margie pocock says:

I loved this recipe. I made 6 rolls and they all turned out great. Very easy to make and very delicious
Pa Paw Max says:

Momma Cyd, I made this the other day with my daughter. I cooked it for the 14 minutes and it was still wet on top so I extended the cooking 3 min, it was still wet and so i did 3 more. I did that about 2 more times. We rolled it up finally and when we unrolled it, it was a mess. We basically started over and the same thing happened. I was smarter and I did make it work. What am I doing wrong? I am using the regular sheet cake pan which dimensions are a bit bigger than the ones you give. My oven cooks everything else just how it should. Is the cook for 14 minutes correct? What if I turned the oven down to 350 degrees and cooked for 30 minutes? Any other suggestions? Pumpkin roll is a favorite of mine since childhood made by my best friends mother.
Momma Cyd says:

The main thing you need to be sure and do is place the pan in the preheated oven and bake it for about 14 mins or until the cake is set. The cake should spring back when you touch it with your finger. If your cake takes longer until it's set or springs back when you touch it with your finger, that is fine! Hope this helps.
Debbie Fladd says:

I have made these for years. Made over 100 at a time for gifts. The last few years I’ve had trouble with them being “sticky” after I unroll them. I’ve tried everything I know and have reached out to several ppl to try to correct this. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Momma Cyd says:

We have wrapped up our cake roll in both parchment paper and a thin flour sack dish cloth. Both have worked great. Be sure you wrap it up warm - right from the oven.