Mucosally active subunit vaccines are an unmet clinical need due to lack of licensed immunostimulants suitable for vaccine antigens. We show that intranasal administration of liposomes incorporating: the Streptococcus pyogenes peptide antigen, J8; diphtheria toxoid as a source of T-cell help; and the immunostimulatory glycolipid, 3D(6-acyl) PHAD® (PHAD), was able to induce both cellular and humoral immunity. We demonstrate long-lived humoral and cellular memory responses following vaccination. However, mice genetically deficient in either mucosal antibodies or total antibodies were protected against S. pyogenes respiratory tract infection. By using IL-17-deficient mice or by depleting cellular subsets using antibody therapy, we show that the cellular responses encompassing, CD4+ T-cells, IL-17, macrophages and neutrophils play critical roles in vaccine-mediated mucosal immunity. Overall, the data demonstrate the utility of a novel mucosal vaccine platform to deliver multi-pronged protective responses against a highly virulent pathogen.