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    Home » Dessert

    Vegan Pumpkin Roll (2 Ways)

    Published: Sep 30, 2019 · Modified: Sep 23, 2022 by Larisha Bernard · This post may contain affiliate links · 20 Comments

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    We take this classic fall dessert and make it a vegan pumpkin roll.  Filled with delicious vegan cream cheese frosting and topped with powdered sugar! Plus, a bonus vegan chocolate pumpkin roll option.

    Okay, before you look at me sideways, some of you may be wondering what the heck a vegan pumpkin roll even is and If you need it. 

    The answer is yes, yes you do.

    A pumpkin roll is a delicious pumpkin cake spread out onto a baking sheet and then rolled up with a cream cheese filling and sprinkled with powdered sugar. 

    The traditionally version has milk, eggs, cream cheese, and butter. So, we had a little work to be done, but nothing that we couldn’t handle. Am I right?

    We got to work and ended up creating not 1, but two epic vegan pumpkin roll recipes. 

    Today, we’re going to be sharing with you how to make a traditional pumpkin roll, but also a vegan chocolate pumpkin roll. 

    That’s right, we also created a chocolate cream cheese frosting to make a chocolate pumpkin roll as well. 

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    What ingredients do I need to make vegan pumpkin roll?

    Even though this may seem like a complicated dessert, we promise it is not! You don’t even need that many ingredients! 

    The ingredients that you need to make this dairy free pumpkin roll are: 

    • powdered sugar
    • flour
    • baking powder
    • baking soda
    • cinnamon 
    • nutmeg
    • ginger
    • cloves
    • allspice
    • salt
    • unsweetened applesauce 
    • brown sugar 
    • pureed pumpkin 

    And then for the filling you need: 

    • vegan cream cheese
    • powdered sugar
    • vegan butter
    • vanilla

    If you want to make the chocolate filling, you will also need cocoa powder. 

    If you want to add nuts, you will also need chopped walnuts.

    How do I make a vegan pumpkin roll?

    We are going to first start by making the cake. Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F.  Then, you are going to lay a piece of parchment paper down on the bottom of a 15×10-Inch jelly roll pan and grease the sides of the pan. 

    In a bowl, combine the brown sugar and applesauce very well.  Then, add in the pumpkin and combine again. 

    Next, add in your flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, and salt. 

    Combine one last time, scraping down the sides if needed. Stir in the chopped walnuts if desired. 

    Spread the mixture evenly across your prepared baking sheet.

    Place into the oven for 13 to 15 minutes. The cake should spring back when touched. 

    Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the entire thing with powdered sugar, then place a kitchen towel over top and immediately invert the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. Sprinkle this side with powdered sugar also.

    Starting at the narrow end (smaller), roll up the cake and towel together (see video if needed). Place on a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. *Placing on a wire rack to cool is very important. 

    While the cake is cooling, make the filling by beating together the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, vegan butter and vanilla. You want a smooth frosting.  Place in fridge until ready to use. 

    Once an hour has passed, carefully unroll the cake. Spread the frosting onto the cake. Reroll the cake (without the towel).  Wrap up tightly in plastic wrap or cheesecloth. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. 

    Sprinkle with more powdered sugar on top before serving Cut Into 1 inch slices and serve warm or cold.  Store any leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge. 

    How do I make a vegan chocolate pumpkin roll?

    If you want the inside of your vegan pumpkin roll to be chocolate filling instead, then you are just going to used some cocoa powder in place of the powdered sugar when making the frosting.

    The measurements are below in the full recipe. The rest of the recipe remains the same. 

    vegan pumpkin roll sliced on a wooden board.

    Do I have to use a 15×10 jelly roll pan?

    Yes! The size of the pumpkin roll is Important. That is why we want to us a jelly roll pan. If you use a smaller or larger pan, then your batter is going to be too thick or too thin to work out completely. 

    How long will this dairy free pumpkin cake roll last?

    This cake roll is best eaten within 3-5 days, so you want to try to prepare it no more than that far in advance. For best results, leave wrapped up until read to serve. 

    Can I make this a Top 8 Allergen Free pumpkin roll?

    Yes!  

    For the cake itself, you can try to make them with gluten free measure for measure flour.  This specific King Arthur gluten free flour is our favorite!  And leave the nuts out of the cake roll. 

    For the frosting, just make sure that you use a soy free dairy free butter if needed.  We love the Earth Balance soy free in the red tub.  And ensure that the vegan cream cheese you are using does not contain any allergens for your family.  We prefer Wayfare cream cheese.

    What are other vegan cake recipes that I should try?

    Just because you have food allergies or preferences, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to have great tasting desserts.  We’d even venture to say that these are better than their “normal” counterparts. 

    These are some other dairy free cake recipes that you should try: 

    • Easy Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
    • Vegan Coconut Cake
    • Vegan Strawberry Cake 
    • The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
    • Vegan Carrot Cake
    • Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
    • Try these vegan vanilla cupcakes in a cake pan

    Pin this vegan pumpkin roll for later: 

    Print Recipe
    4.83 from 17 votes

    Vegan Pumpkin Roll

    We take this classic fall dessert and make it a vegan pumpkin roll.  Filled with delicious vegan cream cheese frosting and topped with powdered sugar! Plus, a bonus vegan chocolate pumpkin roll option.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Cooling and Resting3 hours hrs
    Total Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8 slices
    Calories: 264kcal
    Author: Larisha Bernard

    Equipment

    • Jelly Roll Pan

    Ingredients

    For the Cake

    • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
    • ¾ cup flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon cloves
    • ¼ teaspoon allspice
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup chopped walnuts, Optional
    • Powdered Sugar

    For the Filling

    • 4 oz vegan cream cheese
    • ½ cup powdered sugar
    • 3 tablespoon vegan butter
    • ½ tsp vanilla
    • Optional: Cocoa Powder if making chocolate filling *see notes below for amount changes

    Instructions

    For the Cake

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
    • Lay a piece of parchment paper down on the bottom of a 15×10-Inch jelly roll pan and grease the sides of the pan. 
    • In a bowl, combine brown sugar and applesauce very well. 
    • Add in pumpkin and combine again. 
    • Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, and salt. Combine, scraping down the sides if needed.
    • Stir in the chopped walnuts if desired. 
    • Spread the mixture evenly across prepared baking sheet.
    • Place into oven for 13 to 15 minutes. The cake should spring back when touched. 
    • Remove from oven.
    • Sprinkle the entire thing with powdered sugar, then place a kitchen towel over top and immediately invert the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. Sprinkle this side with powdered sugar also.
    • Starting at the narrow end (smaller), roll up the cake and towel together (see video if needed). Place on a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. *Placing on a wire rack to cool is very important. 

    For the filling

    • Beat together vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, vegan butter and vanilla until smooth. Place in fridge until ready to use. 
    • Once an hour has passed, carefully unroll the cake. Spread the frosting onto the cake.
    • Reroll the cake (without the towel). 
    • Wrap up tightly in plastic wrap or cheesecloth. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. 
    • Sprinkle with more powdered sugar on top before serving.
      Cut Into 1 inch slices and serve warm or cold. 
    • Store any leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge. 

    Video

    Notes

    *If you want to make this a chocolate pumpkin roll, then when making the filling do ¼ cup cocoa powder and ¼ cup powdered sugar. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as directed. 
    *See post for notes about Top 8 Allergy Free variation
    **Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 3378IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Adrianna

      June 07, 2022 at 11:18 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is amazing! I loved pumpkin rolls prior to going vegan. Almost 7 years later and I can enjoy them once again thanks to this recipe

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        June 07, 2022 at 4:01 pm

        yay! we love when that happens!

        Reply
    2. Heidi

      November 26, 2021 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      This worked great and was a thanksgiving hit! I did have cracking problems but always did with a pumpkin roll in pre-vegan days. I doubled the cream cheese filling and that was perfect for us ☺️ Used kite hill cream cheese.

      Reply
    3. Jenny M

      November 25, 2021 at 11:13 pm

      I made this today, amazing. My son said it would be something worth paying for. Your recipes never fail. I would like to make a chocolate roll, like a black forest cake. I looked at recipes, they don’t seem like they would be successful. Any ideas?

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        February 09, 2022 at 10:31 pm

        So glad you enjoyed this one! We hope to have a chocolate version soon

        Reply
    4. Heidi Estrem

      November 24, 2021 at 7:21 pm

      5 stars
      The flavors are great! I doubled the cream cheese filling 🙂 Yummmm, and thank you. Question: I did have some splitting to the cake. I followed the directions — is there a technique I should work on with the rolling out and rerolling? Or something else to try?

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        February 09, 2022 at 10:32 pm

        So glad you enjoyed. The rolling part and measurements are really critical with the cracking. We’ve cracked our fair share and just cover with powdered sugar more 🙂

        Reply
    5. Kate

      November 25, 2020 at 10:53 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe! My non vegan boyfriend loved this. I was looking for a go to vegan version of this and this is definitely one I’ll be using again!

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        November 25, 2020 at 11:36 pm

        We’re so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking time out of your day to leave a review!

        Reply
    6. Stephanie

      October 31, 2020 at 5:50 pm

      I can’t get Wayfare or TJ’s cream cheese!!!! Does anyone have another good option??

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        November 02, 2020 at 8:13 pm

        You can make your own. https://makeitdairyfree.com/nut-free-soy-free-vegan-cream-cheese/

        Reply
      • Meg

        October 03, 2021 at 6:45 am

        Try Kite Hill. We like it the best

        Reply
    7. Elyse Hickey

      October 28, 2020 at 8:52 am

      I loved the pumpkin cake part of the recipe but was disappointed in how the cream filling turned out. I used Miyokos brand vegan cream cheese and didn’t like the flavors of the regular or chocolate mix. It wasn’t really sweet and had an odd aftertaste. I hope to try again with a different creme filling soon though to get the perfect pumpkin roll for me 🙂

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        November 02, 2020 at 8:09 pm

        Miyokos is super disappointing as far as cream cheese goes. We like Wayfare the best.

        Reply
    8. Lynett

      October 12, 2020 at 10:59 am

      Today I am baking this Pumpkin Roll but instead I am going to spread softened So Delicious Ice Cream and then freeze it. I can hardly wait to taste it.

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        October 21, 2020 at 12:02 am

        We hope it was a hit!

        Reply
    9. Jillian Salis

      October 10, 2020 at 10:13 pm

      5 stars
      I have been craving pumpkin roll and this hit the spot! Fun to make and so so good to eat — I will be making this again!

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        October 11, 2020 at 7:55 am

        We’re so happy to hear that it was a hit! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review, we appreciate that a lot. Have a great week!

        Reply
    10. Emily

      November 13, 2019 at 12:21 pm

      4 stars
      I absolutely love the flavor of this pumpkin roll! I used almond flour to make a gluten free version and it worked fairly well. I did have parts of it crumble off when peeling the parchment paper off, but when I cut it into slices it looked BEAUTIFUL! I’m super excited to make it again for thanksgiving!

      Reply
      • LarishaCampbell

        November 13, 2019 at 10:37 pm

        Thanks for letting us know about the GF flour! Happy you were able to enjoy it!

        Reply

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