We report the first synthetic peptide vaccine eliciting strong CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T lymphocyte responses in humans. The vaccine, representing the C‐terminal region of the circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum (amino acids 282–383) was well tolerated and strong sporozoite‐specific antibodies were elicited. In addition, robust lymphocyte proliferation responses were equally elicited with concomitant in vitro production of IFN‐γ, crucial in the elimination of the parasite. Most importantly, we also observed the development of CD8⁺ T lymphocyte responses decisive in the immunity to malaria. The latter finding opens new, possibly safer, avenues for vaccination strategies when a CD8⁺ T cell response is needed.