diff --git a/parser/ast.go b/parser/ast.go
index b5053bbb8098db2f8552c8169720a7cced2f4814..57c49483620086c8236b6b73bc05fa6fa60b4d44 100644
--- a/parser/ast.go
+++ b/parser/ast.go
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ const (
 	Int64Type
 	ListType
 	MapType
+	NotEvaluatedType
 )
 
 func (t Type) String() string {
@@ -178,6 +179,8 @@ func (t Type) String() string {
 		return "list"
 	case MapType:
 		return "map"
+	case NotEvaluatedType:
+		return "notevaluated"
 	default:
 		panic(fmt.Errorf("Unknown type %d", t))
 	}
@@ -476,6 +479,29 @@ func (c Comment) Text() string {
 	return string(buf)
 }
 
+type NotEvaluated struct {
+	Position scanner.Position
+}
+
+func (n NotEvaluated) Copy() Expression {
+	return NotEvaluated{Position: n.Position}
+}
+
+func (n NotEvaluated) String() string {
+	return "Not Evaluated"
+}
+
+func (n NotEvaluated) Type() Type {
+	return NotEvaluatedType
+}
+
+func (n NotEvaluated) Eval() Expression {
+	return NotEvaluated{Position: n.Position}
+}
+
+func (n NotEvaluated) Pos() scanner.Position { return n.Position }
+func (n NotEvaluated) End() scanner.Position { return n.Position }
+
 func endPos(pos scanner.Position, n int) scanner.Position {
 	pos.Offset += n
 	pos.Column += n
diff --git a/parser/parser.go b/parser/parser.go
index cb8624616042f4daa965e25ba4795aaae16050e6..6ae5df30d2d3ec0ae7bb2c6bd2e9ce450ce256e0 100644
--- a/parser/parser.go
+++ b/parser/parser.go
@@ -484,6 +484,8 @@ func (p *parser) parseVariable() Expression {
 				}
 				value = assignment.Value
 			}
+		} else {
+			value = &NotEvaluated{}
 		}
 		value = &Variable{
 			Name:    text,
diff --git a/parser/parser_test.go b/parser/parser_test.go
index 6377dc103c3b878d5e56cdffb251865f90e1935c..70151adc904bc2b40a216304623324f019b613a0 100644
--- a/parser/parser_test.go
+++ b/parser/parser_test.go
@@ -1122,3 +1122,24 @@ func TestParserEndPos(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestParserNotEvaluated(t *testing.T) {
+	// When parsing without evaluation, create variables correctly
+	scope := NewScope(nil)
+	input := "FOO=abc\n"
+	_, errs := Parse("", bytes.NewBufferString(input), scope)
+	if errs != nil {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected errors:")
+		for _, err := range errs {
+			t.Errorf("  %s", err)
+		}
+		t.FailNow()
+	}
+	assignment, found := scope.Get("FOO")
+	if !found {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected to find FOO after parsing %s", input)
+	}
+	if s := assignment.String(); strings.Contains(s, "PANIC") {
+		t.Errorf("Attempt to print FOO returned %s", s)
+	}
+}