This is the best sourdough pumpkin roll made with real pumpkin puree, sourdough discard, pumpkin spices like cinnamon, and filled with brown butter cream cheese.<\/p>\n
My mom always had pumpkin rolls on hand in the\u00a0fall<\/a>\u00a0growing up because it\u2019s the perfect bake-and-slice make-ahead\u00a0dessert<\/a>.<\/span> This sourdough discard pumpkin roll can be refrigerated for days or frozen ahead of time so you have an easy, convenient, and beautiful dessert to serve to Thanksgiving<\/a> or holiday guests.<\/p>\n Making a sourdough pumpkin roll is surprisingly easy, as the moist sponge cake is baked in a jelly roll pan and simply shaped into a roll with a caramely brown butter cream cheese filling that pairs exceptionally well with the earthy pumpkin.<\/p>\n The detailed recipe will guide you through every step of the process, including how to bake, roll, and store the sourdough pumpkin roll with lots of pro baking tips.<\/p>\n Follow this detailed recipe guide as you make the best Sourdough Pumpkin Roll.<\/p>\n Preheat the oven to 350\u00baF (177\u00baC) and line a 10\u00d715\u2033 jelly roll pan with parchment paper and grease it to prevent sticking.<\/p>\n In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla extract, and sourdough discard together until incorporated. Set aside.<\/p>\n In a small separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spices.<\/p>\n Then, pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix with a spatula just until combined, and only a few lumps remain, like making Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 12-14 minutes or until the center is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.<\/p>\n As the cake bakes, generously dust a clean tea towel with powdered sugar (image 1 below).<\/p>\n While the cake is still hot, wear oven mitts and confidently flip it out onto the dusted towel (2). It\u2019s important to pre-roll the cake while it\u2019s warm so it will easily roll back up without cracking. This creates a \u201cmemory\u201d for the sponge cake.<\/p>\n Carefully roll the sourdough pumpkin cake up from the short end (3) and let it cool completely seam-side down on a wire rack (4). It will take an hour or two for it to completely cool.<\/p>\n You can make the brown butter cream cheese filling as the sourdough pumpkin roll cools.<\/p>\n To brown the butter, heat half a stick of butter in a small skillet or saucepan on medium heat and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes. At first, it will sizzle and foam with small bubbles, and then the milk solids will quickly start to brown with a caramely aroma.<\/p>\n Remove from the heat and pour the brown butter into a mixing bowl to cool before mixing in the cream cheese.<\/p>\n Once cooled, add the softened cream cheese and mix with a hand mixer or spatula until combined into a thick consistency. Then, add the powdered sugar and mix until you have a thick but spreadable cream cheese frosting.<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> To make a regular cream cheese filling, simply skip browning the butter, and let it soften at room temperature with the cream cheese and mix together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Finally, when the cake has cooled completely, gently unroll it from the towel. It will memorize some of its rolled shape.<\/p>\n Use a spatula or offset spatula to spread all of the brown butter cream cheese filling over the cake, leaving a slight border on the edges.<\/p>\n Re-roll the cake (it should release easily because of the powdered sugar on the towel) into a log.<\/p>\n Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator (or freeze) for at least an hour for the filling to set before slicing.<\/p>\n Before serving, you may want to trim the edges of the sourdough pumpkin roll to look neater and dust the top with more powdered sugar.<\/p>\n This sourdough pumpkin roll is one of my favorite, easy make-ahead fall desserts.<\/p>\n It stores well in the refrigerator if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 5 days. <\/p>\n To freeze, wrap well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight to soften properly.<\/p>\n Serve the sourdough discard pumpkin roll cool or at room temperature, and dusted with more powdered sugar. It\u2019s excellent as a sweet breakfast<\/a> treat with coffee or a fall dessert- it always looks elegant on a Thanksgiving dessert table.<\/p>\n Yes. Simply double all of the ingredients to bake two pumpkin rolls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n To prevent cracking, you must pre-roll the pumpkin cake while hot. Roll it in a tea towel dusted with powdered sugar and let it cool completely on a wire rack.<\/p>\n Do not overbake the cake, or it will be too dry and more prone to cracking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n You can make other delicious cream cheese fillings with maple syrup, cinnamon, other warming spices, or even use buttercream (like the maple buttercream in my Sourdough Pumpkin Whoopie Pies<\/a>) or whipped cream for a lighter touch.<\/p>\n![\"Sliced](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sourdough-pumpkin-roll-with-brown-butter-cream-cheese.jpg\")
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\n\ud83d\udc4d Why You\u2019ll Love This Recipe<\/h2>\n
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![\"Slice](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/slice-of-sourdough-pumpkin-roll-on-plate.jpg\")
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\n\ud83d\udd0d Pro Tips for Making Sourdough Pumpkin Roll<\/h2>\n
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\n\ud83d\uded2 Ingredients Needed<\/h2>\n
![\"Labeled](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ingredients-needed-for-sourdough-pumpkin-roll.jpg\")
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\n\ud83c\udf83 How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Roll<\/h2>\n
1. Mix the Wet Ingredients<\/h3>\n
![\"Wet](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/mixing-wet-ingredients-for-sourdough-pumpkin-roll.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n2. Mix in the Dry Ingredients<\/h3>\n
![\"Mixed](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/mixing-dry-ingredients-for-sourdough-pumpkin-roll.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Mixed](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/mixed-sourdough-pumpkin-roll-batter.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n3. Bake<\/h3>\n
![\"Unbaked](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sourdough-pumpkin-roll-before-baking.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Baked](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/baked-sourdough-pumpkin-roll.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n4. Pre-Shape the Sourdough Pumpkin Roll<\/h3>\n
![\"Collage](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/How-to-shape-sourdough-pumpkin-roll.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n5. Make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/brown-butter-cream-cheese-in-bowl.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n6. Fill and Re-roll<\/h3>\n
![\"Brown](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/brown-butter-cream-cheese-in-sourdough-pumpkin-roll.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Shaped](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shaped-sourdough-pumpkin-roll.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Sliced](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sliced-sourdough-pumpkin-roll.jpg\")
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\nHow to Store<\/h2>\n
![\"Slice](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/bite-taken-out-of-sourdough-pumpkin-roll-on-plate.jpg\")
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\n\u2753 Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
Can I double the recipe?<\/h3>\n
How do I prevent my pumpkin roll from cracking?<\/h3>\n
What other fillings can I add?<\/h3>\n
![\"Slices](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sourdough-pumpkin-roll-sliced.jpg\")
![\"Overhead](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/overhead-sourdough-pumpkin-roll.jpg\")