Malaria kills close to half a million people every year and remains a significant impediment of development in many countries. An efficient vaccine is considered key for definitive malaria control and eradication, but remains elusive. Using Plasmodium-specific TCR transgenic CD8 T cells, we have recently demonstrated that liver-resident memory CD8 T cells (liver Trm cells) can mediate efficient protection against Plasmodium berghei sporozoite infection. We have also developed two different novel subunit immunization strategies that favour the formation of liver Trm cells and provide robust, long-lasting sterile protection in C57BL/6 mice. To extend our findings to the endogenous T cell repertoire, we utilised a mass spectrometry approach to identify Plasmodium-derived, immunogenic MHC-I peptides suitable for Trm-based vaccines. Immunisation targeting one of these epitopes elicited large numbers of specific, endogenous liver Trm cells and virtually full sterile protection of C57BL/6 mice against challenge with P. berghei sporozoites. As some human malaria vaccines display substantially reduced protective capacity in malaria endemic areas, we sought to determine the efficacy of our vaccines upon recent or ongoing exposure to blood stage malaria. We found that while traditional malaria vaccines are significantly hampered by malaria exposure, our novel vaccines are not. Our findings showcase the therapeutic potential of liver Trm-based subunit vaccination against malaria, inform its development for maximal efficacy in the field, provide an optimal liver stage Plasmodium target antigen for its implementation and bring novel insights into liver Trm cell biology