Turn on the sauté function on the Instant Pot and heat a tablespoon of avocado oil in the bottom of the pot.
Sauté the diced onion and bell pepper in the tablespoon of avocado oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Scoot the onion and bell pepper to one side of the pot, then add in the vegan beef crumbles. Sauté the crumbles for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly browned and crispy. Once browned, press the off button on the Instant Pot to stop sauté function.
Discard the ham flavored seasoning packet that comes with the soup mix. Then, in a fine sieve, thoroughly rinse and drain the beans. Next, add bean mixture directly to the instant pot (no soaking) along with remaining chili ingredients and stir to combine.
Add Instant Pot lid, set valve to SEAL and cook on manual high pressure for 45 minutes.
Allow instant pot to de-pressurize naturally for 15 minutes before releasing rest of pressure.
Serve immediately with desired toppings.
Storage
Chili will keep for 3-4 days in fridge in an airtight container. Flavor will deepen over time.
This recipe previously had a slow cooker option, however it has been removed because it is not recommended to cook kidney beans in a slow cooker for food safety reasons.