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While I don’t remember eating pumpkin rolls much growing up, they were certainly a staple of my husband’s childhood, especially around Thanksgiving and the holidays. So naturally, I wanted to make a vegan pumpkin roll cake complete with a dairy-free cream cheese filling that could live up to those memories!

Emily’s Recipe Notes

Flavor: Pumpkiny, warmly spiced, with orange-zested cream cheese.
Texture: Bouncy pumpkin sponge, thick, creamy frosting swirl.
Difficulty: Intermediate; requires careful rolling and filling.
What makes it different: Tested egg substitutes for a rollable sponge and cream cheese brands for a stable filling.

Single slice of pumpkin roll on a silver serving spatula, showing the spiral of cake and creamy filling. — vegan pumpkin roll

Jelly roll cakes are usually made with a minimum of 3 eggs, so one of the trickiest parts of this recipe was getting the eggless pumpkin sponge just right! It needed to be soft and moist, but sturdy enough to roll around the cream cheese filling without falling apart.

After a few rounds of testing (and some very squishy cake), I finally landed on a combination that holds up just as well as the original. And of course, I had to put the vegan cream cheeses to the test, too! See what you need to make it below.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Pumpkin Puree

I prefer Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin because I’ve found it has a consistently thick texture and pumpkin flavor without being too watery. Make sure you’re using pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.

Unsweetened Soy Milk

Soy milk adds moisture and some protein to help compensate for the missing eggs. I use unsweetened soy milk so I can control the sweetness of the cake. You can try another dairy-free milk, but I haven’t tested those substitutions yet, and the sponge texture may change.

Vinegar, Baking Soda & Baking Powder

Vinegar reacts with baking soda, helping the eggless pumpkin sponge rise. A little baking powder provides additional leavening. Together, they help create a lighter, bouncier cake rather than a crumb that gets squished together easily when rolled.

Dairy-Free Yogurt

I use 3 tablespoons of Forager‘s unsweetened cashew and coconut yogurt. It adds a little fat and richness to help compensate for the missing egg yolks without making the sponge overly moist. I initially tested yogurt as the main egg substitute, but found that a smaller amount creates a better texture.

Vegan Cream Cheese

The brand makes a big difference here! I tested both Violife and Tofutti, and recommend Tofutti for a thicker, more stable filling. The frosting should hold stiff peaks rather than being runny, or it may squeeze out when you roll the cake.

I personally prefer Violife’s flavor and recommend it in many other recipes, but Tofutti has a firmer texture that’s closer to traditional cream cheese (and my homemade vegan cream cheese).

I didn’t test Kite Hill because I’m not the biggest fan of its flavor. I’ve also found Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese to be similar to Violife in taste and texture, though I haven’t tested it in this frosting.

You can see the side-by-side frosting comparison and how much powdered sugar each brand needed in the testing section further down in the post.

How to Make A Vegan Pumpkin Roll Cake

Exact ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below!

Pumpkin puree, dairy-free yogurt, and other wet ingredients added to a bowl of dry cake ingredients.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, make a well in the center, and add the wet ingredients.

Thick orange pumpkin cake batter in a glass mixing bowl with a spatula.

Mix the pumpkin cake batter until JUST combined.

Smooth pumpkin spice cake batter spread evenly in a parchment-lined baking pan.

Transfer the batter to a 10×15″ jelly roll cake pan lined with parchment paper coated in cooking spray. Spread the batter out in a thin, even layer.

Golden-brown pumpkin sheet cake baked evenly in a parchment-lined rectangular pan.

Bake at 375F for 15-17 minutes or until the top is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.

Finished pumpkin jelly roll lightly dusted with powdered sugar on a linen towel.

Immediately lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper and place it on a wire rack. Carefully invert it onto a kitchen towel generously dusted with powdered sugar.

Hands rolling a rectangular pumpkin sponge cake in a kitchen towel to help it hold its shape.

Starting from a short end, roll the warm cake up with the towel inside.

Pumpkin sponge cake rolled inside a kitchen towel and resting on a wire cooling rack.

Transfer the wrapped cake to a wire rack and let it cool completely.

Pumpkin sponge spread with cream cheese frosting being carefully rolled into a spiral.

Gently unroll the cooled cake and spread the vegan cream cheese filling evenly over the surface, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Using your hands, carefully roll the filled cake back up, this time without the towel.

Rolling Up the Finished Cake

After rolling up the filled cake, I highly recommend wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerating for at least 1 hour to help the filling firm up.

Once it’s chilled a bit, you can unwrap it and slice. Let the slices sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before enjoying for the best texture!

It can be stored wrapped well in plastic in the fridge for up to 4 days.

the finished pumpkin roll cake. — the filled pumpkin roll ready to slice

Why This Vegan Pumpkin Roll Works

The two biggest challenges I’ve found with an eggless pumpkin roll are getting the sponge to bend without falling apart or cracking and making a cream cheese filling thick enough to hold its shape without being sickly sweet. Here’s what I learned from testing both!

How To Get a Rollable Eggless Pumpkin Sponge

When I started developing this recipe, my first version used dairy-free yogurt as the main egg substitute. Typically, I love using dairy-free yogurt in cakes, but jelly roll cakes require less fat/oil. And unfortunately, the cake crumb ended up squishing together and turning dense.

I also tried rolling the cake up in parchment vs. a tea towel which definitely didn’t help the situation. Here’s what I found worked better after several tests:

Soy milk + vinegar: Along with the leavening agents, this combination helped create a lighter, bouncier sponge.
Less sugar + slightly more flour: Helped the cake develop enough structure for rolling while balancing the sweeter filling.
Roll in a kitchen towel: Unlike parchment, the towel allows some steam to escape as the cake cools, helping prevent a soggy sponge.

You can see the difference in crumb structure between my first test with dairy-free yogurt and the final recipe below.

Side-by-side comparison of a dense dairy-free yogurt-based pumpkin sponge and a lighter, bouncier soy milk sponge.

Which Vegan Cream Cheese Works Best?

I tested Tofutti and Violife using the same amount of vegan butter and cream cheese, starting with 90g powdered sugar (3/4 cup) in each batch.

Tofutti contains tofu, soy protein, and stabilizing ingredients, while Violife relies more on coconut oil and potato starch for its creamy consistency. These different formulations may explain why they behave so differently when beaten with powdered sugar. Here’s what I found in my tests:

Tofutti (my pick): This brand made a thicker frosting that held stiff peaks with only 90g of powdered sugar. It also has a firmer texture that’s closer to traditional cream cheese in my opinion, making it my preference for a pumpkin roll filling.
Violife: I actually prefer its flavor, but the frosting was noticeably softer and showed some separation with only 90g powdered sugar. It didn’t have the structure I wanted for rolling and would ooze out, causing the cake to collapse.
Violife + extra sugar: Doubling the powdered sugar to 180g helped thicken the frosting, but made it considerably sweeter. This is a good alternative if you prefer Violife’s flavor and don’t mind a sweeter filling.

Three vegan cream cheese frosting tests comparing Tofutti and Violife with 90g and 180g powdered sugar.

My tip: Whichever brand you use, your frosting should hold stiff peaks before you spread it onto the cake. Gradually add more powdered sugar as needed to reach this texture.

For a deeper look at all my recipe tests and variations, you can read my full testing notes on Substack!

Pumpkin roll cake dusted with powdered sugar, with a slice cut to reveal the cream cheese filling. — the sliced vegan pumpkin roll

Troubleshooting Your Vegan Pumpkin Roll

1. Cream Cheese Filling Is Too Runny

Some vegan cream cheese brands have a higher moisture content or soften when beaten with powdered sugar, making the frosting too loose to hold its shape. Gradually add more powdered sugar until it holds stiff peaks, or refrigerate for a few hours to help it firm up. If it’s still too soft, I recommend switching to Tofutti for a more stable filling.

2. Pumpkin Roll Cracks When Rolling

The pumpkin sponge becomes less flexible as it cools, making it more likely to crack. Roll the cake immediately after baking, while it’s still warm and pliable. Use a powdered sugar-dusted kitchen towel and let it cool completely before unrolling and adding the filling.

3. Pumpkin Sponge Is Tough or Chewy

Overmixing the batter develops too much gluten, resulting in a tougher, chewier cake. Since this recipe contains no added oil, it’s especially important to avoid overmixing. Stir just until the flour disappears, then stop mixing to keep the sponge soft and tender.