The Best Pumpkin Roll Recipe

This pumpkin roll recipe can’t get any better! Moist cake swirls around a delicious creamy filling, all with a mix of pumpkin spice flavor that makes it the perfect treat for fall or winter. Try this recipe once and you’ll want to add it to your regular rotation!

I come from a long line of women on both sides of my family who are absolute warriors in the kitchen. On my mom’s side, my Grammie and her sisters would always call each other back and forth to ask about how many teaspoons of this or that spice was in whatever recipe they were mastering.

And I can remember the baked goods flying back and forth, especially during the holidays. Each sister had her specialties.

This holiday season, I’m on a mission to recreate some of my favorites, and I thought it would be the perfect project to share with you lovelies, right here. So today we’re tackling Aunt Isabel’s Pumpkin Roll Recipe.

Psst — be sure to sign up for my VIP group below, where I’ll send more of my very best recipes, DIYs, and holiday ideas straight to ya!

A Classic Pumpkin roll Recipe

My Aunt Isabel would host these massive Thanksgiving dinners for the whole family, and just go to town making everything from scratch. But this was my favorite.

She would make Pumpkin Rolls for everybody to take home and I totally remember sneaking bites of this thing when it was lurking in the fridge (sorry, Mom).

It took me two attempts, but I learned some tricks along the way and included them in the classic pumpkin roll recipe here.

More Delicious Fall Desserts

I know that if you like this pumpkin roll recipe, you’re going to love these other fall dessert ideas I’ve curated for you.

These are some of our most popular recipe posts, so be sure to take a look and pin the ones that you want to come back to!

• Persimmon Cookies with Chocolate Chips
• Chai Spice Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Bean Drizzle
• Elf Movie Cookies for Christmas
• The Perfect Persimmon Bread Recipe
• Make Fall Treats // Gold-Splattered Pumpkin Spice Macarons

Ingredients You’ll Need

Lots of more recent pumpkin roll recipes substitute pumpkin pie spice for lots of the individual spices, but this one is old school! You’ll see in the list of ingredients each of the spices that make up this delicious dessert.

Cake Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 c sugar
• 2/3 c pumpkin
• 1 t lemon juice
• 1 t vanilla
• 3/4 c flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 t ginger
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t salt
• handful of chopped nuts

Filling Ingredients

• 1 c powdered sugar
• 6 oz cream cheese (room temp.)
• 4 T butter (room temp.)
• 1/2 t vanilla

Make the Pumpkin Cake

1. Beat eggs for 5 minutes, gradually beating in sugar.
2. Stir in pumpkin, lemon juice, and vanilla.
3. Sift together flour with baking powder and all spices and fold into pumpkin mix.
4. Line a jelly roll pan (I used 11 x 17) with parchment paper. Spread the batter evenly on the pan and sprinkle with nuts if desired.
5. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and turn over onto a flour sack towel, removing the parchment paper. Roll the cake up with the towel (the towel keeps it from breaking), so that the nuts are on the inside of the roll. Leave rolled until cool. It helps to do this step while the cake is still warm.

Make the Pumpkin Roll Filling

1. Beat powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth.
2. Carefully unroll the cake and spread an even layer on the surface. Reroll the cake and wrap in foil.

Using Fresh Walnuts for a Pumpkin Roll Recipe

Side note — those walnuts are from my parents’ farm! Each fall we pick a few bags of walnuts from the trees at their house and use them for baking or gifting.

You could also substitute any other favorite nut, or omit the nuts completely.

Freeze or Store a Pumpkin Roll

Ta-daaaa! I was kind of freaked out to try this one but it really comes together easily. (The flour sack towel is crucial, I tell ya.)

I actually prefer this pumpkin roll recipe best when it’s a little chilled, so I’d love to know your preference!

If you’d like to freeze or store your pumpkin roll, this dessert keeps beautifully! To keep your pumpkin roll, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer.

The pumpkin roll will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Yum!

Hope you try this delicious fall dessert. Be sure to rate the recipe below if you do! xoxo