Keto Pumpkin Roll
Published October 13, 2023 • Updated February 28, 2026
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My no-fail keto pumpkin roll: spongy pumpkin cake wrapped around buttery cream cheese filling. No rolling in a towel, no unrolling, no cracks.
If you shy away from pumpkin rolls because the recipes are fussy and the cake always cracks during the towel-rolling step, I made this recipe to eliminate all of that.
With this recipe, you skip the towel-rolling step completely. No rolling the hot cake in a towel, no nervously unrolling it and holding your breath, no praying it doesn’t crack down the middle. I’ve made this several times and not once has it cracked on me. The cake bakes into a thin, flexible sheet that rolls cold, straight off the pan. You end up with a spongy pumpkin cake wrapped around a thick cream cheese filling that doesn’t squeeze out the sides.
How I discovered this method…
I stumbled onto this during an experiment with my oatmeal creme pies. The first batch of cookies spread out into a flat, thin sheet on the baking tray. When I peeled them off, they rolled up seamlessly without a single crack. That accidental discovery became the foundation for this recipe. It’s the reason the method works so differently from traditional versions, where you’re fighting the cake the entire time.
A traditional version runs about 27g net carbs per slice. This one comes in around 3g net carbs, and the texture is close enough that people genuinely can’t tell the difference. Reader Jason brought this to a dinner party and the host’s wife spent ten minutes asking which bakery it came from. When he told her the carb count, she set her plate down and walked away genuinely annoyed. I took that as the highest compliment a low-carb dessert can get. If you’re trying to serve something at a gathering where not everyone eats the same way, this is the one I reach for.
The secret is oat fiber (I go deeper on that below), which gives the cake a flexible, spongy structure that bends instead of breaking. Combined with almond flour and the right ratio of butter to eggs, you get a cake that actually rolls without cracking. No xanthan gum needed. Some recipes call for it to add flexibility, but I’ve never needed it here because the oat fiber handles that job on its own.
If you love pumpkin desserts on keto, I have a whole lineup: pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate pumpkin bundt cake, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, and pumpkin pie. For the holidays, pair this with my keto yule log or Christmas tree cakes and you’ve got a sugar-free dessert table nobody will question.
How to make a crack-free pumpkin roll
- Make the pumpkin cake batter. Cream softened butter until light and fluffy, mix in both sweeteners, pumpkin puree, and room temperature eggs. Fold in the dry ingredients (almond flour, oat fiber, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt).
- Bake it thin. Spread batter onto a parchment-lined half sheet pan and bake at 350°F for 14-15 minutes. I pull mine when it’s golden on top and set in the center. Let it cool right in the pan.
- Whip up the cream cheese filling. While the cake cools, cream butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add powdered sweetener, oat fiber, a splash of nut milk, and vanilla extract.
- Frost and roll. Spread filling edge to edge on the cooled cake, then use the parchment paper underneath to guide it into a tight roll from the short end. Freeze 30 minutes, dust with powdered sweetener, and slice.
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Keto Pumpkin Cake Ingredients
1 1/2 cups almond flour -
1/3 cup oat fiber
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 cup unsalted butter, softened
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3/4 cup packed brown sugar substitute
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1/3 cup granulated sugar-free sweetener
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1/3 cup 100% pumpkin puree
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2 eggs, room temperature
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rimmed half baking sheet or jelly roll pan
Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
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1 cup unsalted butter, softened
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8 oz cream cheese, softened
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1 cup powdered sugar-free sweetener
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1 tablespoon oat fiber
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1 tablespoon nut milk
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat oven & prepare baking pan
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spray cooking oil on the baking sheet or jelly roll pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
Dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, oat fiber, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Set aside.
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup oat fiber
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
In a large bowl, cream butter for 3-5 minutes with an electric mixer until light in color and fluffy. Stir in both sweeteners until fluffy and creamy. Add pumpkin puree and eggs. Mix until incorporated.
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar substitute
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar-free sweetener
- 1/3 cup 100% pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Finish the cake batter
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
Spread pumpkin cake batter
Evenly spread cake batter onto the prepared baking sheet, reaching all the sides and ensuring the top is smooth.
Bake until your house smells like a Bath & Body Works Fall candle
Bake at 350 degrees °F for 14-15 minutes or until cake is golden and set on top. Remove cake from oven and let sit in the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before running a knife along the edges to keep the cake from sticking to the edges. Leave in the cake pan to cool.
Make your filling while you wait
In a large bowl, cream butter until light in color and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Add cream cheese and continue mixing until fluffy. Slowly add in powdered sweetener and oat fiber. Mix until combined. Stir in nut milk and vanilla extract.
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar-free sweetener
- 1 tablespoon oat fiber
- 1 tablespoon nut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frost the cake
Once cake is cool enough to frost, spread on an even layer of frosting on top of the cake covering from edge to edge.
Rolled cake without the cracks
To roll, start from one short edge. Grab hold of the parchment paper underneath the cake and pull, using it as your guide to roll the cake tightly. Continue rolling all the way through.
Freeze before slicing
To get a beautiful cut, place cake in the freezer for 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sweetener if desired. Cut both edges off with a serrated knife and eat those pieces right away because they are ugly. You don’t want your guests to think you come from a place where the chandeliers are made of solo cups.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a 9x13 baking dish instead of a rimmed baking sheet?
I haven't tried it in a 9x13 myself, but it should work. Your cake will be thicker, so add a few extra minutes in the oven. Look for that golden top and set center before pulling it out. A jelly roll pan works too. I prefer the half sheet because you get a thinner, more flexible cake that rolls easily.
Why do I need to freeze the cake before slicing?
I freeze mine for at least 30 minutes before slicing because it firms up the filling and gives you clean cuts instead of a smushed mess. Use a serrated knife and wipe the blade between slices. If you skip the freezing, the cream cheese filling squishes out and your slices look ragged. I learned that the hard way on my second batch.
My pumpkin roll cracked. What do I do?
I've made this recipe several times, and so have a lot of readers, and not once has it cracked. If yours did, ask yourself: did you substitute ingredients, use a different brand of almond flour, or skip a step? Those are the usual culprits. But if it cracked, just dust it with powdered sweetener or pile on some whipped cream and move on. Nobody at the table is going to send it back. Let me know in the comments what you changed and I can help troubleshoot.
Can I use oat flour instead of oat fiber?
I wouldn't recommend it. Oat flour and oat fiber are completely different products. Oat flour is ground oats with significantly more carbohydrates. Oat fiber is just the husks, which is why it's zero carbs. I haven't tested this recipe with oat flour because the carb count would jump and the texture wouldn't hold the same way. Same goes for bamboo fiber. I haven't worked with it enough to say whether it would behave like oat fiber here.
What sweeteners work in this recipe?
I use a brown sugar substitute (like Swerve Brown) and a granulated sweetener in the cake. For the filling, powdered sweetener works best because it dissolves smoothly into the cream cheese. You can swap brands freely. Erythritol blends, monk fruit blends, and allulose all work. I've tested with both Swerve and Besti and both turned out great. The one thing I'd avoid is liquid stevia. It won't give you the right volume or texture in either the cake or the filling.
Can I add more pumpkin puree to the cake?
I'd be careful. The recipe uses 1/3 cup for the whole cake, which keeps the carbs low and the moisture balance right. If you want more pumpkin flavor, I'd try going up to 1/2 cup and reducing the butter by a couple tablespoons to balance the extra liquid. I haven't tested that exact ratio, so the texture might shift slightly. If you try it, let me know how it turns out in the comments.
Can I make this ahead of time?
This is one of the best make-ahead desserts I have. I bake and roll it 2-3 days before I need it and keep it wrapped tight in the fridge. The flavors actually develop and the filling sets firmer, which makes slicing cleaner. You can also freeze the whole roll for up to 2 months. If you want something faster for a weeknight craving, my pumpkin mug cake comes together in about 2 minutes.
How do I lower the calories in this recipe?
Most of the calories come from the butter. In the filling, I've tested using just 3 tablespoons of butter instead of a full cup, and it still tastes rich and creamy. You can also drop the powdered sweetener to 1/2 cup in the filling without losing much sweetness. I wouldn't cut the butter in the cake itself because that's what gives it the right texture and flexibility for rolling.
The pumpkin roll my mom made every fall had this specific warmth to it, a smell that filled the house for hours. I haven't let myself think about it much since going keto, but I made this one last weekend and the pumpkin pie spice hit exactly right and I was just there for a second, back in her kitchen, standing at the counter waiting to lick the cream cheese filling off the spoon. I know it's not the same thing and I'm not trying to pretend it is, but something about the way the filling holds its shape inside the sponge cake is so close to what I remember. My cream cheese was a little cold so mixing it took longer than I expected, but the cake itself came out clean without any cracking, which felt like a small victory given my track record with rolled desserts. Four stars because I want to try getting the texture a little lighter next time (maybe sifting the almond flour), but I'll be making this again before spring is over.
Made this for a small dinner last weekend, didn't mention it was keto. One person kept describing the filling as 'less sweet but richer than normal cream cheese' and was genuinely trying to work out why. The no-crack slice is what got everyone, it came apart perfectly after sitting out for a while and still held its shape. I'll bring this to anything where I want to look more impressive than I actually am.
Most frosting is heavy on cheese, light on butter. This one flips it. More butter means the fat comes through before the sweetness does. That's probably what they were picking up on. 'Look more impressive than I actually am' should be in the recipe description.
My grandmother made a pumpkin roll every Christmas, and going keto four years ago I accepted that as one of the things I'd lost. Made this on a snow day last week and when I sliced into it (that swirl, the cake holding together just like I remembered), I had to just stand there for a second. Four years of keto baking and this is the first time something genuinely took me back. I'm making another one this weekend.
Four years and a snow day is a good story. Make two, it keeps wrapped tight in the fridge for a few days.
Four batches in and I've been playing with the sweetener ratio. Dropped the granulated sweetener by half and the pumpkin spice forward flavor comes through clean without competing with the filling. That adjustment is staying.
Yeah, the filling is so sweet that the cake backing off probably just gave the spice room it was missing. Four batches is a real test.
Brought this to a dinner party last Saturday and my buddy's wife spent ten minutes asking which bakery it came from. When I said I made it she didn't believe me, and when I told her the carb count she set her plate down and walked away genuinely annoyed. I took that as a compliment. The cream cheese filling is rich without tipping into too sweet, and the pumpkin cake held up sitting out for a couple hours without getting gummy or dense. I've dealt with traditional pumpkin rolls cracking during the rollup more times than I care to count, so the no-towel approach actually working this cleanly was a surprise. Already planning a second one for Friday.
Someone walking away annoyed is peak compliment. The almond flour is why it holds at room temp (wheat absorbs moisture and goes dense, almond doesn't). The no-towel thing surprised me too the first time I tested it.
Do you think I could use oat flour instead of oat fiber?
Oat flour has a lot more carbohydrates in it, so I haven't worked with it. I'm not sure how they would substitute.
Hi Annie, 2 things, I would like to add 2/3 cup of pumpkin, so do I need to adjust anything to cake? And do you really need the cup of butter in the cake? I see your post that I can cut back in filling but am wondering about the cake too? BTW I made the cake the other day and dropped it all over my porch where it was cooling. I was sick about that. But the flavor was wonderful that I tried of what was left in the pan. 😱
Thank you Chris
Oh no! That's too bad! I haven't tried it, but you might be able to use 2/3 cup of pumpkin and then decrease the butter by 1/3 cup (so use 2/3 cup butter). I haven't tried that so I'm not sure how it would go, but worth a shot.
Awesome!
It's one of my favorites to make ahead. The filling actually sets firmer after a day in the fridge, and the slices come out cleaner.
Hubby (Non keto skeptic) loved this but is not a pumpkin fan! My coworker made it for me in lieu of the farm fresh eggs Ive been giving her over the summer. He wanted to know if a chocolate version could be made out of this recipe?
I'm so glad to hear he liked it! I am working on a chocolate version now. It should be out before Christmas.
Hello Annie, I don't like the taste of Oat fiber and I was wondering if I can substitute oat fiber for bamboo fiber. Thank you so much for sharing all the delicious recipes that make my keto lifestyle achievable!!!
I haven't tried using bamboo fiber. If it works the same as oat fiber, then I think it could be substituted but not entirely sure. Glad you enjoy the recipes.
Is this really over 500 calories per serving or is that for the whole recipe? Just sounds so high calorie?
Thanks
You can decrease the calories by only using a couple tablespoons of butter in the filling or omit it all together.