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The perfect cream cheese pumpkin roll for fall, made with fresh-milled flour! This whole grain pumpkin roll is easy to make, delightfully moist, and packed with fall flavor.
I am always down for any excuse to make something sweet around the holidays! And while I may have a soft spot for whole grain cranberry bread, I do love some homemade pumpkin rolls!
Pumpkin rolls are a mouthwatering fall treat, perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or autumn gatherings.
They combine a moist pumpkin cake with a rich and tangy cream cheese filling to make a gorgeous spiraled dessert that tastes out of this world!
I love making all things pumpkin as the weather cools down. Everything from roasted pumpkin nachos to pumpkin muffins makes it onto the table in the fall.
And while my family devours a regular pumpkin bread loaf, I like to keep this pumpkin roll recipe on hand for special occasions.
It’s insanely delicious, stunningly beautiful, and made with whole grain flour!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love It
- Cream cheese pumpkin roll: The sweet and tangy cream cheese filling elevates this from a simple pumpkin loaf to a decadent and comforting fall treat! It’s a pumpkin recipe you’ll look forward to making every single year.
- Crowd-pleaser: This is the perfect dessert or breakfast treat, especially for gatherings. The swirled slices are wow-worthy, and the flavor is out of this world. It’s the perfect way to impress at parties and get-togethers.
- Fresh-milled whole wheat: This recipe is packed with freshly milled whole grains without tasting whole-grainy. The first time I made this, I was delighted to discover that it tastes just like a pumpkin roll made with all purpose flour! If you are new to milling whole grains, learn all about it in my tutorial on how to mill your own flour.
- Easy to make: Even though it looks complicated and elegant, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to make a pumpkin roll from scratch! This is a great beginner-friendly whole grain recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Whole grain flour: Use fresh-milled whole grain flour. I like hard white wheat best in this recipe, but I’ve also made it with spelt and einkorn.
- Pumpkin pie spice: It’s easiest to buy premade pumpkin pie spice, but you can also make your own with ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and clove.
- Eggs: See my note about farm-fresh eggs in the tips section below.
- Pumpkin puree: Be sure to use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Cream cheese filling: We’ll use a mixture of cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar to make a delicious cream cheese filling.
How to Make Whole Grain Pumpkin
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 2. Combine dry ingredients – flour, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice – in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Step 3. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla.
Step 4. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until well combined.
Step 5. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper is just a little larger than the pan. Lightly coat the parchment with butter.
Step 6. Pour the batter evenly into the pan.
Step 7. Bake for 10–14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Every oven is different; I bake mine for exactly 13 minutes.)
Step 8. Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Using the edges of the parchment paper, lift the cake out and place it on a heat-resistant surface. Starting on the short end, gently roll the cake up with the parchment. Move it to a heat rack to cool.
Step 9. While the cake cools, beat together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until smooth.
Step 10. Carefully unroll the cake and spread the filling evenly over the surface, leaving about an inch border around the edges. Roll it back up, this time without the parchment.
Step 11. Wrap the roll tightly in plastic wrap, place seam-side down, and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Tips for Making a Pumpkin Roll
- Regarding the eggs, I know a lot of you all mention you use farm fresh eggs – and that is great, so do I, but the sizes can really vary depending on the chicken breed. For best results, I really recommend using 3 large eggs or 4 medium-sized eggs.
- Be sure to roll the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven — rolling it once it’s cooled down will lead to breakage.
- If you opt for homemade pumpkin puree, you’ll probably need to simmer it or pat it with paper towels to reduce the water content. Homemade puree tends to be much thinner than canned, which can affect baking recipes. I personally like to stick with canned pumpkin in baked goods and save my homemade pumpkin puree for less fussy recipes, like homemade pumpkin yogurt.
- Don’t overbake your cake. Take it out of the oven as soon as the toothpick is clear of raw or sticky batter (some crumbs are okay). An overbaked cake will be dry and difficult to roll successfully.
- If you are new to milling your own grains, I highly recommend investing in a high-quality grain mill. I’ve tried many different models, and once I got a Mockmill professional grain mill, the texture of my baked goods drastically improved.
Recipe FAQs
The roll can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for 1-2 days. For longer-term storage, pumpkin rolls freeze very well. Wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator before enjoying.
Nope, not in this recipe! I’ve had many pumpkin rolls made with all purpose flour, and this one has the same flavor and texture (but some additional benefits from the freshly milled flour!).
Yes, I have made this with all purpose flour using a 1:1 ratio, and it works perfectly!
Yes, absolutely chill the roll first. It helps the filling firm up!
I’ve used hard white wheat, eikorn, and I think spelt, if my memory serves me correctly! I like it best with hard white wheat, just like my whole grain long john donuts!
This is such a fun recipe to make! It kind of looks complicated, but once you get into it, there is really not much to it!
I’ve been making this pumpkin roll all the time with my daughter and we don’t even have to look at the recipe anymore!
We might even squeeze in a batch of my whole grain cranberry orange scones; they’re so bright and festive, and a perfect match for citrus lovers this time of year.
And since we have some extra milled flour, we have already decided on making our whole grain gingerbread next!
Related Recipes
- Apple Cider Cake
- Dutch Oven Apple Crisp
- Iced Ginger Cookies
- Whole Grain Cinnamon Rolls
- Whole Grain Blueberry Muffins
If you tried this whole grain pumpkin roll or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Whole Grain Pumpkin Roll
Equipment
- 10×15 Jelly Roll Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole grain flour I use milled hard white wheat for this one
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup pure granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs*
- 2/3 cup plain pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese softened (1 brick)
- 2 tbsp butter softened, plus some for greasing the pan.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine dry ingredients – flour, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice – in a medium-sized mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until well combined.
- Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper is just a little larger than the pan. Lightly coat the parchment with butter. Pour the batter evenly into the pan.
- Bake for 10–14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Every oven is different; I bake mine for exactly 13 minutes.)
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Using the edges of the parchment paper, lift the cake out and place it on a heat-resistant surface. Starting on the short end, gently roll the cake up with the parchment. Move it to a heat rack to cool.
- While the cake cools, beat together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Carefully unroll the cake and spread the filling evenly over the surface, leaving about an inch border around the edges. Roll it back up, this time without the parchment.
- Wrap the roll tightly in plastic wrap, place seam-side down, and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Video
Notes
- *Regarding the eggs, I know a lot of you all mention you use farm fresh eggs – and that is great, so do I, but the sizes can really vary depending on the chicken breed. For best results, I really recommend using 3 large eggs or 4 medium-sized eggs.
- Be sure to roll the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven — rolling it once it’s cooled down will lead to breakage.
- If you opt for homemade pumpkin puree, you’ll probably need to simmer it or pat it with paper towels to reduce the water content. Homemade puree tends to be much thinner than canned, which can affect baking recipes. I personally like to stick with canned pumpkin in baked goods and save my homemade pumpkin puree for less fussy recipes, like homemade pumpkin yogurt.
- Don’t overbake your cake. Take it out of the oven as soon as the toothpick is clear of raw or sticky batter (some crumbs are okay). An overbaked cake will be dry and difficult to roll successfully.
- If you are new to milling your own grains, I highly recommend investing in a high-quality grain mill. I’ve tried many different models, and once I got a Mockmill professional grain mill, the texture of my baked goods drastically improved.
Yummy!
I couldn’t agree more!
Love this! Seriously the best pumpkin roll on the planet! And it’s made with whole grains, what!!!!!!!!
Yay, I am so happy to hear you loved it!
i simply love this recipe! so many people don’t realize you can make anything with whole grains! you defiantly figured out how to make it delicious though!
Thank you so much! I agree, you can make anything with whole grains and make it just as delicious!