Vegan Pumpkin Roll

Vegan Pumpkin Roll is an eye catching dessert that is sure to be the star at your holiday table. Fluffy and moist pumpkin cake is covered in a cream cheese-like frosting, then rolled up, chilled and sliced. It’s easier than you might think!

Have you ever made a roll cake before? It may seem intimidating at first, but it’s actually quite simple. Basically, you make a sheet cake in a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan, roll it up, cool, unroll, frost, then roll it back up and let it chill.

I’ll share all my best tips for making the process as easy as possible. Vegan Pumpkin Roll cakes are great gifts, so bake a few and make your friends and family happy this fall.

Ingredients needed (with substitutions)

• Pumpkin pureé – Not pumpkin pie mix, make sure to use pumpkin pureé from a can, nothing else added. I haven’t tried using fresh pumpkin here, but it can vary in terms of how watery or thick it is and throw off the recipe. Stick with canned for best results.
• Applesauce – I haven’t tried using anything else, but non-dairy yogurt might work. Oil makes the cake too heavy for rolling, which is why I’m using applesauce here.
• Sugar
• Vanilla
• Flour – I used all purpose. I’m sure a gluten free mix would work, I like King Arthur Flour for gluten free.
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Pumpkin pie spice – Don’t have it? Substitute 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and a pinch of cloves.
• Salt
• Vegan butter + vegetable shortening – For the frosting. May use all vegan butter if desired, or all shortening if you don’t have vegan butter.
• Powdered sugar – For the frosting and to dust the cake with once done.
• Lemon juice – This adds a little tartness to the frosting that is wonderful without being overpowering.
• More vanilla
• Plant milk – To thin the frosting if needed. I used soy milk.

How to make vegan pumpkin roll

This is simply an overview with photos, scroll down to find the complete, printable recipe.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper, with some overhang for easy removal. In a large bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together, then add the dry and stir until just mixed. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 14-15 minutes.
2. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, lay a large dish towel on the countertop and sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar. With one swift motion, flip the cake onto the towel. Have confidence and do this quickly, or the cake will split. Roll the cake up using the towel. Do not wait for the cake to cool off, but roll it up while still hot. If this is too scary for you, you can simply roll it up in the parchment paper.
3. Let the cake cool completely for about 3 hours. Prepare the frosting, then gently unroll the cake. Do this slowly to prevent cracking.
4. Spread the prepared frosting all over the cake, leaving 1/4 inch unfrosted. Roll it back up, without the towel this time, and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Helpful tips

• Add a liberal amount of powdered sugar to the dish towel. This will help prevent the cake from sticking to the towel.
• Don’t hesitate when inverting the cake. One swift motion is what’s needed here. If you flip it slowly it will completely break. If this is too intimidating for you, simply remove the cake from the pan using the parchment paper, and roll it up using that instead of a towel. It still works, but it may crack a little easier.
• If you have some cracks: If the cracks are pretty small, they can be fixed with frosting and a dusting of powdered sugar. A couple small cracks are not a big deal. If things go wrong and it cracks more than that, well it will still taste amazing! But it shouldn’t crack if you follow the instructions.

Frosting options

I’ve included a recipe for a delicious cream cheese-like frosting here, but you could always use another frosting instead, such as my Vegan Vanilla Frosting or Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting.

Did you know that Duncan Hines has several frostings that happen to be vegan, such as their cream cheese frosting, buttercream and more? Feel free to use a store bought option to make this even easier!

More vegan pumpkin recipes you’ll love

• Vegan Pumpkin Bars
• Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Pecan Frosting
• Vegan Pumpkin Bread
• The Best Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
• Vegan Pumpkin Pie
• Vegan Pumpkin Scones