Existing methods for probing the orbital angular momentum carried by vortex beams have many limitations and are generally only applicable to specific types of vortex beam. In this work, we present a concise and efficient universal method for probing the orbital angular momentum that is applicable for any type of vortex beam. The vortex beam could range from being fully to partially coherent, with different spatial modes including Gaussian vortex beam, Bessel-Gaussian beam, Laguerre-Gaussian beam, etc., of any wavelength including x rays, matter waves such as electron vortices, and with high topological charge. This protocol only requires a (commercial) angular gradient filter, making it very easy to implement. The feasibility of the proposed scheme is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally.