diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index 1871f23c36..2157e22236 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -2099,7 +2099,10 @@ Stores configuration object
 
 The store configuration object can have the following keys:
 
-* ``dotenv``: this is an object. Right now no keys are supported.
+* ``dotenv``: this is an object, supporting the following keys:
+
+  * ``quote`` (boolean; default ``false``): when ``true``, values are
+    double-quoted on emit.
 
 * ``ini``: this is an object. Right now no keys are supported.
 
diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index 511df1bc15..3b48211bbc 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -99,7 +99,9 @@ func FindConfigFile(start string) (string, error) {
 	return result.Path, err
 }
 
-type DotenvStoreConfig struct{}
+type DotenvStoreConfig struct {
+	Quote bool `yaml:"quote"`
+}
 
 type INIStoreConfig struct{}
 
diff --git a/stores/dotenv/store.go b/stores/dotenv/store.go
index 9f4acd5e23..6e2d47bb46 100644
--- a/stores/dotenv/store.go
+++ b/stores/dotenv/store.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package dotenv //import "github.com/getsops/sops/v3/stores/dotenv"
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/getsops/sops/v3"
@@ -44,10 +45,26 @@ func (store *Store) LoadEncryptedFile(in []byte) (sops.Tree, error) {
 // LoadPlainFile returns the contents of a plaintext file loaded onto a
 // sops runtime object
 func (store *Store) LoadPlainFile(in []byte) (sops.TreeBranches, error) {
+	lines := bytes.Split(in, []byte("\n"))
+
+	// Detect quoted vs unquoted by looking at the first metadata value
+	quote := store.config.Quote
+	for _, line := range lines {
+		if !bytes.HasPrefix(line, []byte(stores.SopsPrefix)) {
+			continue
+		}
+		_, raw, ok := bytes.Cut(line, []byte("="))
+		if !ok {
+			continue
+		}
+		quote = bytes.HasPrefix(raw, []byte(`"`))
+		break
+	}
+
 	var branches sops.TreeBranches
 	var branch sops.TreeBranch
 
-	for _, line := range bytes.Split(in, []byte("\n")) {
+	for _, line := range lines {
 		if len(line) == 0 {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -61,9 +78,19 @@ func (store *Store) LoadPlainFile(in []byte) (sops.TreeBranches, error) {
 			if pos == -1 {
 				return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid dotenv input line: %s", line)
 			}
+			var value string
+			if quote {
+				var err error
+				value, err = strconv.Unquote(string(line[pos+1:]))
+				if err != nil {
+					return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid quoted dotenv value for key %q: %w", line[:pos], err)
+				}
+			} else {
+				value = strings.Replace(string(line[pos+1:]), "\\n", "\n", -1)
+			}
 			branch = append(branch, sops.TreeItem{
 				Key:   string(line[:pos]),
-				Value: strings.Replace(string(line[pos+1:]), "\\n", "\n", -1),
+				Value: value,
 			})
 		}
 	}
@@ -99,7 +126,10 @@ func (store *Store) EmitPlainFile(in sops.TreeBranches) ([]byte, error) {
 			value, ok := item.Value.(string)
 			if !ok {
 				value = stores.ValToString(item.Value)
-			} else {
+			}
+			if store.config.Quote {
+				value = strconv.Quote(value)
+			} else if ok {
 				value = strings.ReplaceAll(value, "\n", "\\n")
 			}
 
diff --git a/stores/dotenv/store_test.go b/stores/dotenv/store_test.go
index 9bac160a10..f9d808ac4e 100644
--- a/stores/dotenv/store_test.go
+++ b/stores/dotenv/store_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/getsops/sops/v3"
+	"github.com/getsops/sops/v3/config"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
@@ -88,6 +89,77 @@ func TestEmitEncryptedFileStability(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+var QUOTED_PLAIN = []byte(strings.TrimLeft(`
+VAR1="val1"
+VAR2="val2"
+#comment
+VAR3_unencrypted="val3"
+VAR4="val4\nval4"
+JSON="{ \"app_id\": \"123\" }"
+`, "\n"))
+
+var QUOTED_BRANCH = sops.TreeBranch{
+	sops.TreeItem{
+		Key:   "VAR1",
+		Value: "val1",
+	},
+	sops.TreeItem{
+		Key:   "VAR2",
+		Value: "val2",
+	},
+	sops.TreeItem{
+		Key:   sops.Comment{Value: "comment"},
+		Value: nil,
+	},
+	sops.TreeItem{
+		Key:   "VAR3_unencrypted",
+		Value: "val3",
+	},
+	sops.TreeItem{
+		Key:   "VAR4",
+		Value: "val4\nval4",
+	},
+	sops.TreeItem{
+		Key:   "JSON",
+		Value: `{ "app_id": "123" }`,
+	},
+}
+
+func TestQuotedLoadPlainFile(t *testing.T) {
+	branches, err := (&Store{config: config.DotenvStoreConfig{Quote: true}}).LoadPlainFile(QUOTED_PLAIN)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, QUOTED_BRANCH, branches[0])
+}
+
+func TestQuotedEmitPlainFile(t *testing.T) {
+	branches := sops.TreeBranches{
+		QUOTED_BRANCH,
+	}
+	bytes, err := (&Store{config: config.DotenvStoreConfig{Quote: true}}).EmitPlainFile(branches)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, QUOTED_PLAIN, bytes)
+}
+
+func TestQuotedLoadDetectsUnquoted(t *testing.T) {
+	unquoted, err := (&Store{}).EmitEncryptedFile(sops.Tree{
+		Branches: sops.TreeBranches{BRANCH},
+	})
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	branches, err := (&Store{config: config.DotenvStoreConfig{Quote: true}}).LoadPlainFile(unquoted)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, BRANCH, branches[0][:len(BRANCH)])
+}
+
+func TestUnquotedLoadDetectsQuoted(t *testing.T) {
+	quoted, err := (&Store{config: config.DotenvStoreConfig{Quote: true}}).EmitEncryptedFile(sops.Tree{
+		Branches: sops.TreeBranches{BRANCH},
+	})
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	branches, err := (&Store{}).LoadPlainFile(quoted)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, BRANCH, branches[0][:len(BRANCH)])
+}
+
 func TestHasSopsTopLevelKey(t *testing.T) {
 	ok := (&Store{}).HasSopsTopLevelKey(sops.TreeBranch{
 		sops.TreeItem{