diff --git a/src/Illuminate/Contracts/Encryption/Encrypter.php b/src/Illuminate/Contracts/Encryption/Encrypter.php
index 004dfe9a9416..11e0b45a2de7 100644
--- a/src/Illuminate/Contracts/Encryption/Encrypter.php
+++ b/src/Illuminate/Contracts/Encryption/Encrypter.php
@@ -8,15 +8,17 @@ interface Encrypter
      * Encrypt the given value.
      *
      * @param  string  $value
+     * @param  bool  $serialize
      * @return string
      */
-    public function encrypt($value);
+    public function encrypt($value, $serialize = true);
 
     /**
      * Decrypt the given value.
      *
      * @param  string  $payload
+     * @param  bool  $unserialize
      * @return string
      */
-    public function decrypt($payload);
+    public function decrypt($payload, $unserialize = true);
 }
diff --git a/src/Illuminate/Encryption/Encrypter.php b/src/Illuminate/Encryption/Encrypter.php
index 2e747733a221..f7256c7d01c9 100755
--- a/src/Illuminate/Encryption/Encrypter.php
+++ b/src/Illuminate/Encryption/Encrypter.php
@@ -63,11 +63,12 @@ public static function supported($key, $cipher)
      * Encrypt the given value.
      *
      * @param  mixed  $value
+     * @param  bool  $serialize
      * @return string
      *
      * @throws \Illuminate\Contracts\Encryption\EncryptException
      */
-    public function encrypt($value)
+    public function encrypt($value, $serialize = true)
     {
         $iv = random_bytes(16);
 
@@ -75,7 +76,8 @@ public function encrypt($value)
         // will proceed to calculating a MAC for the encrypted value so that this
         // value can be verified later as not having been changed by the users.
         $value = \openssl_encrypt(
-            serialize($value), $this->cipher, $this->key, 0, $iv
+            $serialize ? serialize($value) : $value,
+            $this->cipher, $this->key, 0, $iv
         );
 
         if ($value === false) {
@@ -96,15 +98,27 @@ public function encrypt($value)
         return base64_encode($json);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Encrypt a string without serialization.
+     *
+     * @param  string  $value
+     * @return string
+     */
+    public function encryptString($value)
+    {
+        return $this->encrypt($value, false);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Decrypt the given value.
      *
      * @param  mixed  $payload
+     * @param  bool  $unserialize
      * @return string
      *
      * @throws \Illuminate\Contracts\Encryption\DecryptException
      */
-    public function decrypt($payload)
+    public function decrypt($payload, $unserialize = true)
     {
         $payload = $this->getJsonPayload($payload);
 
@@ -121,7 +135,18 @@ public function decrypt($payload)
             throw new DecryptException('Could not decrypt the data.');
         }
 
-        return unserialize($decrypted);
+        return $unserialize ? unserialize($decrypted) : $decrypted;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Decrypt the given string without unserialization.
+     *
+     * @param  string  $payload
+     * @return string
+     */
+    public function decryptString($payload)
+    {
+        return $this->decrypt($payload, false);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/tests/Encryption/EncrypterTest.php b/tests/Encryption/EncrypterTest.php
index 68e0680daf30..3f598c0c0c72 100755
--- a/tests/Encryption/EncrypterTest.php
+++ b/tests/Encryption/EncrypterTest.php
@@ -13,6 +13,14 @@ public function testEncryption()
         $this->assertEquals('foo', $e->decrypt($encrypted));
     }
 
+    public function testRawStringEncryption()
+    {
+        $e = new Encrypter(str_repeat('a', 16));
+        $encrypted = $e->encryptString('foo');
+        $this->assertNotEquals('foo', $encrypted);
+        $this->assertEquals('foo', $e->decryptString($encrypted));
+    }
+
     public function testEncryptionUsingBase64EncodedKey()
     {
         $e = new Encrypter(random_bytes(16));