Name: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pull-Apart Puff Pastry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 sheet gluten-free puff pastry; ½ cup pumpkin puree; ¼ cup brown sugar; 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; 1 oz cream cheese; ½ cup powdered sugar; 2 teaspoons water; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Warm puff pastry. Swirled with pumpkin spice and sweet pumpkin puree. Drizzled with cream cheese icing. Pull-apart rolls perfect for sharing with loved ones.

Everything about this adorable dessert says cozy fall treat.

a platter of baked puff pastry log with visible swirls of pumpkin filling, with partially sliced rolls (still attached on the bottom) pushed slightly to opposite sides in a zig zag pattern and revealing the pumpkin swirls in each roll and white icing drizzled on top, an orange mini pumpkin in the background

The pull-apart pastry comes together with just four ingredients, including store-bought gluten-free puff pastry. Then, the easy cream cheese icing takes only two minutes, plus four more simple ingredients.

The creamy glaze provides a beautiful finish to the rolls and the ideal flavor pairing of pumpkin and cream cheese. If you share my weakness for that combo, I also recommend Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.

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Equipment

Hand Mixer: To quickly and smoothly mix the pumpkin filling and the cream cheese icing. If you don't have a hand mixer, a whisk will do the job.
Baking Sheet
Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper: For assembling the pastry (to prevent sticking) and baking (to prevent messes). If you are using Sweet Loren's Gluten Free Puff Pastry, it comes with a piece of parchment paper.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Puff Pastry: 4 Ingredients

Roll of puff pastry in plastic, Sweet Loren's gluten-free puff pastry box, jar of pumpkin spice, can of pumpkin puree, and bag of dark brown sugar

Gluten-Free Puff Pastry: This recipe requires gluten-free puff pastry that is flexible and does not crack easily, for your sanity. I recommend Sweet Loren's Gluten Free Puff Pastry, which is very easy to work with. It is also sold by the single sheet, which is all you need to make this dessert. I buy it at Target. Get more gluten-free puff pastry tips!
Canned Pumpkin Puree: Purchase 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix. You'll only use a bit more than ¼ of the can, so consider using up the leftover pumpkin puree with these other delicious pumpkin recipes: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (Dairy-Free) and Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pasties.
Brown Sugar: Adds rich fall flavor and sweetness.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: Nothing says fall like pumpkin spice! Badia Pumpkin Pie Spice is labeled gluten-free and most pumpkin spice mixes contain no gluten ingredients. You can learn more about gluten in spices in my Celiac Guide: Gluten-Free Spices & Seasonings.

Cream Cheese Icing: 4 Ingredients

Cream Cheese
Powdered Sugar
Water
Vanilla Extract

Step-by-Step Instructions

Pull-Apart Puff Pastry

Preheat the oven to 425 ℉.

In a small bowl, add pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Use a hand mixer to combine the filling ingredients. A whisk works if you don't own a hand mixer.

brown sugar, pumpkin pure and spices in a glass mixing bowl, with beaters resting in the ingredients

creamy brownish-orange filling, mixed, with beaters resting in the filling

Unroll the gluten-free puff pastry sheet on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. If using Sweet Loren's Gluten Free Puff Pastry (recommended), it includes a sheet of parchment paper. Remember to keep Sweet Loren's puff pastry in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the pastry. Cold puff pastry dough going into a hot oven is what produces puffy layers.

(Schar Gluten-Free Puff Pastry, on the other hand, needs to fully defrost in order to shape the dough and minimize breakage.)

A rectangle of puff pastry on light brown parchment paper on an old baking sheet

Spread the pumpkin filling on top of the puff pastry. I use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it fairly evenly. It does not have to be perfect. This recipe is meant to be easy!

an aqua spatula spreading orange-brown filling on a sheet of puff pastry

orange-brown filling on a sheet of puff pastry

Roll the long side of the puff pastry to form a log, swirled with pumpkin filling.

Use a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 rolls, cutting only about ¾ of the way through the log for each slice. The base of the log is uncut, so the rolls are still connected along the bottom... providing the "pull-apart" feature of the finished treat. I score the top of the log 11 times to space my rolls evenly before cutting.

As you partially slice each roll, gently roll the first piece just slightly to one side. Alternate each piece to the left or right, creating a zig-zag of pull-apart pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

a puff pastry log with 11 lines scored along the top creating 12 sections

A knife slicing part-way into the puff pastry log, with two slices partially cut

Bake the pastry at 425℉. It's ready when the puff pastry is golden and puffy, approximately 20 minutes.

Allow the puff pastry to cool for about five minutes on a wire rack before icing. Carefully pull on the parchment paper to slide the pastry and parchment paper onto the rack. While it is cooling, prepare the easy cream cheese icing.

baked puff pastry log with visible swirls of pumpkin filling, with partially sliced rolls (still attached on the bottom) pushed slightly to opposite sides in a zig zag pattern and revealing the pumpkin swirls in each roll

Cream Cheese Icing

Use a hand mixer to mix all of the icing ingredients. Again, a whisk will do the job. The icing is ready when it is a smooth glaze.

dripping white icing on the beaters of an aqua hand mixer, a small glass bowl beneath and a small orange pumpkin in the background

Use a spoon to drizzle the icing on top of the pumpkin pull-apart puff pastry. Or you can serve the cream cheese icing on the side, as a sweet dip.

Serving

fingers holding a small pumpkin swirl puff pastry roll with white icing, in the background a platter of baked puff pastry log with visible swirls of pumpkin filling, with partially sliced rolls (still attached on the bottom) pushed slightly to opposite sides in a zig zag pattern and revealing the pumpkin swirls in each roll and white icing drizzled on top, an orange mini pumpkin in the background

Enjoy warm!

Serve these adorable rolls at any fall gathering. They make a cozy addition to an autumn breakfast or brunch. Invite a few friends over for tea, pull-apart pumpkin puff pastry, and warm conversation. Or make space for this new sweet treat on your Thanksgiving dessert table.

These are mini-rolls. Estimate 3 per person, unless you are serving them alongside other desserts.

Dairy-Free Option

Sweet Loren's Gluten-Free Puff Pastry is dairy-free. The only ingredient with dairy is the cream cheese. Substitute a non-dairy cream cheese. Or make a simple vanilla glaze by omitting the cream cheese and reducing the water to 1 teaspoon.

Equipment